Unexpected Life of Abundance

Nagwa Abdou

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Acknowledgment

I am very thankful to God first for allowing me to write this book and giving me a chance to

express my love for HimI thank Bishop Youssef for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to publish my book

I thank my friend and my editor HC I thank Michael E. (CreativeOrthodox.com) for

helping me with the cover and putting the book together

and finally I thank everyone who supports my book and my efforts

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Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… 4

PART ONE: Exploring The Lives of The Men of Faith

1. Abraham: The Ultimate Faith ………………………………….…………… 9

2. Joseph: The Man In the Pit ……………………………………………..…...16

3. Job: The Self-Righteous Man ……………………………………………… 25

4. David: The Man After God’s Heart …………………………………….. 30

5. Jonah: The Man Who Ran Away from God ………………………... 37

6. Paul: Draw Me Near to Your Heart ………………………………….…. 45

Part I Summary ……………………………………………………………………..50

PART TWO: Exploring Our Own Spiritual Lives

7. Finding Grace in the Eyes of the Lord ………………………….……… 55

8. Spiritual Growth: My Role or God’s Role ..……………….…………. 60

9. Dare to Dream ………………………………………………………….……….. 67

10. Seeking Wisdom …………………………………………………….…..……. 73

11. Faith Versus Fear …………………………………………………….…..…… 79

12. Facing The Blazing Fire But Not Alone ………………………….……84

PART II Summary ………………………………………….…………………….. 91

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PART THREE: God’s Amazing Work in Us

13. God Is Our Rock in the Wilderness ………………….……………… 97

14. The Father’s Love …………………………………………………………… 102

15. No Fear in the Storm ……………………………………….…………….. 110

16. The Clay and the Potter …..…….………………………….…………… 115

17. The Holy Spirit in Our Lives …………………………………..……….. 120

18. God, Teach Me How to Love …………………………………….……. 126

Part III Summary ……………………………………………………….…….….. 134

PART FOUR: Attaining a Spiritual Life

19. Guard Your Heart against Pride ……………………………………… 139

20. Do Not Let the Past Rule Today ………………………………….…. 164

21. Repentance Leads to a Joyful Life ……..…………………………… 151

22. Attitude of Forgiveness …………………………………………………. 156

23. Growing Our Relationship with God ………………………….…… 162

24. Sin and Spiritual Blindness ………………………………………….…. 168

Part IV Summary ……………………………………………………………..….. 174

PART FIVE: What Will God Say?

25. I Am God and There Is No Other ……………………….……..……… 179

PART SIX: My Experience with God

26. Words from the Heart …………………………………………….……… 186

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Introduction

Reading and writing were never of interest to me. I always enjoyed

working with my hands and discovering what I can do with them. I

love (and loved) to taking classes such as, cooking, using clay to

make sculptures, learning to knit, crochet, or even quilting.

Throughout the years, I learned many new hobbies and had great

ideas. I started to enjoy reading and writing when I was in my mid-

forties and I never stopped. At the same time, I discovered my love

for reading and writing and expressing my thoughts on paper. I also

discovered my love for drawing. I took classes to improve on my

drawings and it became one of my enjoyable hobbies.

Our Lord is amazingly loving, kind, and patient with all of

us because He knows how hard life is and how confusing it can be.

God’s love extends to everyone because He came for every human

being, rich or poor, to those who devote their lives to Him and to

those who despise Him. Therefore, as a Christian woman, I felt the

need to write this book to express my passion about God’s love for

us and to emphasize the importance of realizing who our mighty

God is.

Many do not believe in God because they never had the

opportunity to know Him. Others refuse to believe in God because

of the pain and injustice that is part of this world in which we live.

Yet, others do not believe in Him because their ego is in the way

and they refuse to give God control over their lives.

Through this book, I will try to help answer some of the

most common questions about God, including:

Does God really care?

Did He used to care but not now?

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Did He simply knit us in our mother’s womb then left us to face

life on our own?

How does God know us?

Does God favor some and not others?

How does God spread His love among us?

The fact is that when we are away from our Creator, we

amount to nothing and we end up destroying not only ourselves, but

also the people we love and influence.

My story with God is a happy one and I would like to share

some of it with you, my friend. Like everyone else, I still have my

share of trials and tribulations. Through these challenges, I learned

how waiting patiently, remaining grateful, and glorifying God can

help me to overcome many of life’s challenges.

The day I discovered what God’s plan is for me and why I

had to go through what I could not comprehend, great joy filled my

heart and because of God’s grace, peace and joy are still part of my

life. I realized that my life challenges helped me become more

spiritual, and in turn, this helped my family and friends, and most

importantly me. These challenges made me seek God and get to

know Him, grow in wisdom and the fear of God, and have a

personal relationship with the Lord.

Does God require that we struggle, get hurt, and/or go through

tribulations?

In order to pass an exam, it is important to study the appropriate

material. Likewise, in order to answer this question, we must have

complete understanding of the subject. In order to pass the spiritual

tests that life offers, we must first be successful in acquiring, at

least, one virtue. In order to be successful in acquiring this virtue,

we must first go through a test in that virtue. Once we understand

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that concept, our endurance becomes greater and our willingness to

succeed and work hard becomes worthwhile.

How can we get closer to God?

How does God know how to approach each one? Who is receptive

to Him?

We have to realize that our Creator has the power to look at

each heart for He knows us from the inside out. (See Psalm 139)

This book will serve as a tool for anyone who wants to

understand why God would allow us to go through sufferings,

tribulations, or undesirable circumstances even though He loves us

and died to save us.

I hope and pray that this book touches your heart, but most

of all, I pray that it will lead you to knowing God’s plan for your

life.

Sincerely,

Nagwa

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PART ONE

Exploring the Lives of the Men of Faith

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1

Abraham: The Ultimate Faith

(Genesis 12-25)

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that

you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to

God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be

conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of

your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable

and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

The testing of faith is like refining a precious metal. For

example, purifying gold requires lots of work, patience, and an

extremely hot fire. Although God knows our hearts, He tests us

and puts us through trials to reveal to us what our hearts are

made of and what our priorities are. He wants to show us the

measures we need to take to have a purified heart that will allow

us to enjoy our relationship with our Creator.

The question then becomes what is the ultimate faith? It

is the willingness to submit our lives to the will of God,

regardless of the sacrifice(s) we might endure. This faith will be

characterized by absolute obedience, dedication, joy, and a firm

belief that God will always take care of us and our needs.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the precious and pure gold. He

gave His whole life as a sacrifice for our sins. He endured the

ultimate suffering on the cross to bring salvation to humanity.

He did that with absolute humility and love for the Father and

His children; us.

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"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the

blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated

for us, through the veil, that is His flesh…" (Hebrews 10:19-20)

Abraham is an excellent example of how to live the life of

ultimate faith. God tested Abraham to see how much he loved Him.

God allowed Abraham to experience unimaginable trials and

hardships; however, Abraham humbly overcame all his trials and

hardships. For example:

God ordered Abram to leave his country and his father’s

house and to travel to a land that He will show him.

Abraham obeyed (Genesis 12:1)

Abram believed God’s promises that his children will be as

many as the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea shore,

despite the fact that Sara was advanced in age (Genesis

22:17)

Abraham obeyed God’s request to sacrifice his beloved son

Isaac (Genesis 22:2)

The son whom he longed for all his life

The son whom God gave him as a blessing

The son who was to fulfill God's promise to make his

descendants as the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea

shore

Therefore, Abraham is considered an excellent example

of exceptional obedience. Abraham did what God asked him to

do, regardless of the cost. When God asked Abraham to

sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham did the following:

Went up on the mountain (secluded himself)

Built an altar (worshipped)

Gathered the wood (labored)

Put his son on the altar (obeyed)

Raised his knife to kill him (believed)

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Abraham had complete faith that God will provide a solution

and that is how he passed the test and became God's friend whom

God blessed beyond measure.

"But you, Israel, are my servant, Jacob, whom I have

chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend." (Isaiah 41:8)

As children of God, who were bought by the precious blood

of His son, God expects us to have the same faith as Abram. Faith

and obedience will help us see our trials from a different perspective

and, consequently, overcome these trials just as Abraham did.

God will call on some of us to leave their homes and follow

His commandments, as we see in those who choose monastic life.

The monks and nuns choose to become emotionally dead to the

world. In choosing monastic life, monks and nuns aspire to dedicate

their life to constantly improving their relationship with God. But

even after giving up every worldly thing, they still face all sorts of

tests and hardships (harsh environment, fighting with the devil, and

loneliness, among others) However, faith and obedience help them

overcome these tests and hardships and help them prevail in

becoming righteous and holy.

God expects the same from us. He asks us to live in the

world without being from the world. Like a ship that floats on the

water of a vast sea, but does not have the sea water inside it,

otherwise it will sink. Therefore, we too, should keep the worldly

ways of life and the desires of wealth, fame, pleasure, and comfort

out of our hearts. God wants us to carry our cross with our Lord

Jesus Christ. He also wants us to obey His commandments to the

fullest extent.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone

loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

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This does not mean it is wrong to be successful, wealthy,

famous …, etc. Abraham was successful, wealthy, and famous, but

godly. Therefore, when we live the life of faith and obedience, when

we devote our lives to God in either a saccular or monastic life, and

have the courage to say, “Nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be

done,” God will provide us with everything we could possibly need,

as He promised us

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Although each one of us has a different role in life, a

different road to take, and a different test(s) to endure, the goal

remains the same: to follow the example of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ and to live a life of faith and obedience.

"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for

assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will

say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible for you.’" (Matthew 17:20)

From nature, God gave us the example of the mustard seed,

which is a very small seed that grows into a large tree. The mustard

seed represents the small beginning of faith that God puts in all of

us, which should expand as we grow closer to God. Therefore, it is

up to each one of us to take care of this mustard seed, to feed it,

irrigate it, and to give it the perfect light needed for its growth.

When we do that, this seed (our faith) can grow up to a 15-foot tree,

full maturity. This seed starts out as a very small seed, then a small

mustard bush. But over time, with persistence, diligence, and

perseverance it can turn into a large tree that bears the fruit of

ultimate faith with absolute submission to God.

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Let us experience God's word, love, and wisdom in our lives

and follow His steps every day. Through the testing of our

obedience to His commandments, God will provide the best

outcome for us.

"To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and

preserved in Jesus Christ: mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to

you." (Jude 1:2)

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Lord what can I do to get close to You? My hands are tied

My thoughts are scattered Nothing I do seems right

What can I do to make You proud of me? and

Draw me closer to You So

God whispered and said All things will amount to one word

“Love” With love everything is possible

With it, you can move a mountain and

Even God’s heart To do what it takes on your own Will amount to nothing in return

But with God, it will amount to many things! Your heart will light more with His spirit Your mind will fill more with His wisdom

Your walk will come closer to His Your ears will be more receptive to Him

Then

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All these things that you wish for Will gradually appear

and Multiply for you

From Him only and His Holy Spirit to you!

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2

Joseph: The Man in the Pit

(Genesis 37-50)

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too

hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)

Before we talk about God’s plan for each one of us, let us

start by talking about sin, which is the main cause of our problems.

Sin caused by us or by others results from disobedience or rebellion

against God’s law (Deuteronomy 9:7).

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shed His blood to cover

each and every sin. When we disobey God’s law we separate

ourselves from Him and become subject to eternal death if we do

not repent “… the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6: 27) True

repentance will please God and He will forgive and no longer

remember our sins. “I, even I, am He who blots out your

transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no

more.” (Isaiah 43: 25) Moreover, when we are receptive to God’s

will, the Holy Spirit will be ignited in our hearts and will convict us

when we do wrong. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your

advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not

come to you, but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He

has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness,

and of judgment.” (John 16:7-8)

Usually, we are happy and faithful when life is easy and

agreeable with our plans. On the other hand, we panic when we find

ourselves stuck in the pit either because of the wrong decisions we

make or because of other situation(s) that we cannot control. When

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we find ourselves in the pit, we usually rely on our limited resources

and seek the help of others who too have limited resources as well.

When we experience hardship or find ourselves in the pit, we allow

negative feelings such as fear, frustration, discouragement, anger,

and resentment, among others to overwhelm us and cloud our

vision. Some of us might ask, "why is this happening to me?” Or

“why does God allow this to happen?” Yet another might ask, “is

God punishing me for one thing or another?" These negative

feelings often make us doubt, complain, and grumble against God.

Our generation is not the only generation to struggle with

these same questions. Since the beginning of creation, people have

struggled with these very questions. Whereas many of us are

satisfied with committing our lives to God and trusting Him, others

rely instead on their own will to solve their problems. But if we trust

that everything happens for a reason and if we remember who we

are, who created us, and what our purpose in life is, we will live in

peace; God’s peace.

"Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His

mercy endures forever." (Jeremiah 33:11)

Let us take a moment to examine our heart of hearts. Do we

have faith in God? Do we trust God? Are we joyful? And have we

experienced God’s peace that He promised to give to each one of

us?

By design, we all are created on God's image, and God's

plan for us from the beginning is to be happy, to prosper, and to live

an abundant life. But unfortunately, due to our sin, we find

ourselves full of stubbornness and disobedience. This gives Satan

the opportunity to achieve his own plans. He will not stop trying to

destroy the godly principles of society, our homes, or our churches.

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So, do not give him this opportunity. Instead, trust that God can get

you out of the pit you are in, in due time.

God can use any one of us if we surrender to Him and let

Him use us for His purpose. He will strengthen our faith and

increase our trust in Him, if we could learn to glorify Him in

everything we do and endure our trials. The Holy Bible tells us the

stories of many people who found themselves in the pit, physically

or metaphorically. One of these stories is the life story of Joseph

(Genesis 37-45). Although Joseph was a godly man, he endured

many trials throughout his life. Joseph stayed faithful to God and

trusted Him throughout, even when he was in the pit and in jail. In

both incidences he was accused unjustly. Because he remained

faithful, God rewarded him and blessed him tremendously.

Joseph's life shows us that God begins to shape our lives

starting at very young age; teenage years in the case of Joseph.

When Joseph was thrown in the pit at that young age, he learned

early on to trust and depend on God. This experience, hard as it was,

strengthened his faith and made him able to withstand other future

trials and temptations. All of us, in one way or another, can relate to

the story of Joseph. It is easy to see ourselves in one of these pits:

Joseph never knew his mother; she died when he was a very

young child

Joseph was hated by his own siblings

He was faced with deception

He was forced to leave his birth place and move to a new

land

He faced many temptations

He was falsely accused

He had no way to defend himself

He felt pain and was oppressed

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Despite all of these hardships, Joseph's inner beauty shone

through. With a godly heart, and despite of his young age, Joseph

endured the ache of his broken heart, the longing to see his father,

and many other injustices. Joseph endured because he:

Trusted God and relied on Him

Glorified God in everything he did

Never grumbled or asked "why me?"

Stayed faithful to God

Never lost sight of the fact that God is good, loving, and

merciful

Never filled his heart with hate and doubt

Had an attitude of forgiveness

Refused to see himself as a victim

Put God and others first

He did not allow his life to revolve around himself

Used his talents to serve God and not for his own gain

Comforted others

He challenged himself to be a better man

Because of Joseph’s endurance and faithfulness, God blessed

him beyond measure. Moreover, God changed the hearts of his

brothers.

Many scholars compare the life of Joseph to the life of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Both Jesus and Joseph:

Had godly characters from an early age

Received a robe from their fathers. While Joseph received a

physical robe, Jesus received from His Father a robe of

flesh.

Were greatly loved by their fathers

Were hated and envied by their brothers

Followed God's plan, no matter how difficult it was

Felt the presence of God in their lives at all times

Were tempted

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Were plotted against

Were sold for the price of a slave

Were arrested unjustly

Forgave those who harmed them

Were made to suffer

Ministered to guilty men

Went from suffering to glory

Provided peace, protection, and plenty to others

Became servants for others

Became saviors for many

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted

among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10)

There is no escape from the pit(s) of this life, be it small or

large. We are faced daily with news about war, bad weather,

famines, and disasters. We hear about problems in our

neighborhood, incurable illnesses, lay-offs, death of family

members or close friends … and numerous other problems.

However, in all these

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be

removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the

sea." (Psalm 46:1-2)

Joseph’s father, Jacob, experienced many tribulations

because of his wrongdoing. Jacob angered his own father, Isaac; and

his brother Esau, among others. But after he met our Lord face to

face, he became a godly man and tried to live a better life. But the

consequences of his past mistakes of parenting were brought to the

forefront when his sons led him to believe, for many years, that his

beloved son Joseph had been killed. This news led to too many

years of sorrow and consequently, a true repentance from the heart.

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Although Jacob’s suffering was not initiated by God, God used it to

purify Jacob’s heart and bring him to a higher level of spirituality.

“That the genuineness of your faith, being much more

precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be

found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus

Christ.”(1Peter 1:7)

In God's due time, Jacob's life was transformed in front of

his own eyes and God provided him with more than he could ever

imagine:

The revelation that Joseph was alive

The repentance of his sons

The safe return of Benjamin from Egypt

Simeon was freed from jail

His family was saved from the famine

God blessed his family in Egypt

“And we know that all things work together for the good to

those who love God, to those who are the called according to His

purpose. For whom He for knew, He also predestined to be

conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn

among many brethren.”(Roman 8: 29)

Sometimes we do not understand the reason(s) for the trial(s)

or hardships we are going through. Sometimes it seems that God is

keeping us in the dark. Sometimes Satan leads us to believe he is in

control by letting us believe that whatever we are going through is

because we do not trust and/or believe in God and His love for us .

Despite these thoughts and feelings, we must walk in the light and

trust that God is just and in control. That His wisdom is beyond our

understanding, that He will never give us more than what we can

handle, and that He will do what is right and profitable for us as He

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promised, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and

saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34: 6)

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The Man in the Pit

He fell in the pit Doesn’t matter how

The pit is surrounded by darkness The walls are very steep

The solid ground feels beyond his reach The sky looks so far away

The night seems with no end Is there any way to climb up to the top?

Is the dark cloud his thinking? Is the dirt his doubt?

How long can he last? Can he overcome? Is there a way out?

Why does he fall in deep silence? Is his spirit still alive in him?

Please Don’t lose hope so quickly

Don’t fill your heart with doubt Who do you trust, and who do you rely on?

Do you rely on your own understanding? Does it get you anywhere? Who should you rely on?

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Start climbing Start shouting

Never lose hope Did you call on Him Yet?

God Are You listening to his cry?

Are You there to comfort him? Or Are You waiting for him to call on You? Are You waiting to make him strong?

Lord, Don’t delay in coming

Give him a sign that You are with him No matter how long he will endure

Lord You will be the source of his comfort For there will be many pits in his way

And He needs to know that You are the only one here

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3

Job: The Self-righteous Man

(The book of Job)

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do

not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but

He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.” (Job

5:17-18)

When you are sad or distressed, reach for the Book of

Job. I always do. You will soon realize that, compared with Job,

you are in a much better situation. The Book of Job is an

excellent example of how God is in control of every situation

that affects our lives. This book also is an assurance that our

struggles will pass in the right time according to God’s plan.

Moreover, if we pay attention to the will of God in our lives and

continue to praise Him, these hard experiences might teach us a

new lesson(s), give us a better perspective, and ultimately add

new blessings to our lives.

Many people brag about the many blessings God

gave/gives them; such as wealth and success, among others as if

they had achieved that on their own. Often, this leads people to

overlook the opportunity to thank God and to see His work in

them as they get closer to Him through thanksgiving. When we

solely desire God’s blessing and fail to commit to a relationship

with Him or to serve others this gives Satan an opportunity to

insert ungodly thoughts and feelings in our hearts in order to

separate us further from God.

In the Book of Job, we learn that Satan was jealous from

Job and wanted to destroy him, because he was a righteous man.

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Despite God’s love for Job, He allowed Satan to test him. We

often wonder why God do such a thing to us.

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My

servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless

and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8)

Although Job was a righteous man, God knew that he

had a measure of self-righteousness. So God wanted to take

away these feelings of self-righteousness before Job destroyed

himself by pride or by being negligent in his relationship with

God. The story of Job teaches us that God will never test His

children with more than they can handle. It also shows us that in

suffering God is not turning against us rather, in His wisdom,

He directs us to those things that are acceptable and spiritually

are more profitable to our lives.

God allowed Satan to take away everything Job had,

except his wife. In one day, job lost all of his children and

wealth. However, in spite of this great tragedy and trial, Job

said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I

return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;

blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

In his time of need and great suffering, Job’s wife looked

at him with shame and said to him, “Do you still hold to your

integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) She was foolish in

offering this bad advice and she had no mercy on Job.

Additionally, although his three best friends came to comfort

him, they instead accused him of disobeying God and that his

disobedience is the reason he lost everything. Job called them

“miserable comforters.”

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However, Job became depressed, troubled, and full of

sadness. He was unable to understand why the just God he knew

and experienced in his own life had become unjust and turned

against him. Job continued to believe he was righteous and did

nothing to displease God. So he said, “My soul loathes my life; I

will give free course my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness

of my soul. I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; show me

why you contend with me.’” (Job 10:1-2)

Although Satan did all he could to make Job lose hope in

God, Job kept asking God to speak to him so that he could

understand God’s ways/plan and be comforted. Mistakenly, Job

felt that God turned against him for no reason. What he

neglected to see was that God was forcing him to acknowledge

the problem of his own undisputed righteousness, since Job

“was righteous in his own eyes.” (Job 32:1)

Finally, Elihu, one of Job’s friends, told Job, “Behold,

God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of

His years be discovered.” (Job 36:26) Elihu was trying to

explain that God is just and that Job should not speak to God

foolishly because man cannot understand God and His wisdom.

When God finally spoke to Job, he began to understand how

wrong and foolish he was. He confessed his lack of

understanding and repented from his rebellion against God.

“My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my

commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom,

and apply you heart to understanding.” (Proverb 2: 1-2)

O Lord, despite all we try to do to gain wisdom and

knowledge about you, we can never understand all your ways.

But, no matter how righteous we think we are God, we thank

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you from our hearts because we know that everything you do for

us is for our own benefit, whether we understand it or not.

God, you sometimes allow Satan to test us. These tests

help us purify our hearts so you can give us the blessings of

wisdom and knowledge when we acknowledge our

shortcomings and repent. You desire to cleanse our hearts from

all kind of sins, and to give us strength and patience to face

life’s trials and tribulations.

Therefore, please oh God, teach us never to doubt your

love for us and not to question your wisdom; rather how to

thank you for everything, concerning everything, and in

everything that you give us. Help us remember that you are

loving, kind, and full of wisdom. We ask you Lord to grant us

patience and perseverance so that we can prevail over every trial

and tribulation.

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Away from you my Lord Satan rejoices to see

That my heart is away from Thee He rushes to welcome me

With many sins in hand For without You, my Lord

Anything can happen For my soul is weak and confused

And in need of You Please give me Your grace my Lord

So that I can be revived And open my eyes to see

All Your wonderful plans for me

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4

David: The Man after God’s Heart (1 Samuel 16 – 1 Kings 2)

“For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s

sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people.”

(1 Samuel 12:22)

Although the children of Israel rejected God as their king

and wanted a king to rule over them like the surrounding

nations, God listened to them and appointed a king for them;

Saul. Saul was a humble man and he followed God’s plan.

However, soon after his anointment as a king he became an

arrogant and prideful man along with many other shortcomings.

God rejected Saul when he allowed pride to fill his heart and

became disobedient to God and feared the people of Israel more

than he feared God. Therefore, God asked Samuel to look for

another king, one whose heart is receptive to Him and is full of

humility!

God did not look at the physical appearance of Jesse’s

oldest son, Eliab, even though Samuel assumed he was the right

one for the job. Mistakenly, Samuel thought that a person who is

physically strong must be the right fit for the job. We often do

the same mistake. Physical appearance plays an important role

in every aspect of our society. We worry about having the right

car, a large house, and expensive clothes, among others.

Moreover, we often judge people based on these or similar

criteria because we focus only on the outside image. But God’s

ways are different than ours. While we look at the outward

appearance, “the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel l6:7)

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Through God’s wisdom, David, the youngest son of

Jesse, was appointed king. It was critical for Samuel to anoint

David with the Holy Spirit because, without the Holy Spirit,

David would be left to accomplish God’s will with his limited

human abilities. Without the Holy Spirit David would have

accomplished part of rather than the entire will of God. “Then

Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his

brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David

from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”

(1 Samuel 16:13)

As soon as David was anointed, God gave

him a seemingly impossible task to accomplish. Defeating

Goliath who was undefeatable and who was taunting and

ridiculing Israel. God did this to remind David of his own past

victory when he defeated the lion and the bear with God’s help.

David needed that reminder to help him overcome Goliath.

“And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of

the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from

the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and

may the LORD be with you.’" (1 Samuel 17:37) David was able

to defeat the giant because he could see “the power of God,”

whereas others could not. Because the Israelites fixed their eyes

on the power of Goliath instead of the power of God, they

faltered and failed.

Our lives are full of different kinds of Goliath. In other

words, our lives are full of different challenges and fears. Our

Goliath could be a fear of flying or a fear of speaking your

opinion. Our Goliath can also be a bad habit (smoking,

excessive drinking, gossiping, etc) that is negatively impacting

our lives. We all need to overcome and defeat our Goliath. We

need to be like David and face our giant, calling on God to help

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us to conquer our weakness and trusting that He will be right

beside us.

Many people believe that they will be happy if life is

steady and without ups and downs and if all their wants and

needs are fulfilled. But that is not what life is like. Life is full of

good and bad experiences; health and illness; successes and

failures; prosperity and need; and so on. Without going through

challenging experiences or hard times, we might not be able to

appreciate the good experiences or to understand the meaning of

happiness and how eternal life with God will be like. Moreover,

if we do not face some challenges in our lives, we might never

desire or strive to get closer to God and to be with Him in

heaven, which is our ultimate goal. Therefore, it is up to us to

keep our eyes on our creator and follow His steps and direction

otherwise, we might wonder away from the His will as Saul did.

Mistakenly, we sometime believe that we must be

perfect and without blemish to be able to walk with God and to

strive to do His will. Because David had a heart for God and

strived to do His will, God worked with him, in spite of his

mistakes and shortcomings and prepared him to lead His people,

the Israelites. In contrast, Saul, who God chose first as a king for

Israel, allowed his heart to be filled with jealousy towards

David. His priority became how and when to kill David rather

than fulfilling the will of God. Interestingly, the closer Saul

came to killing David, the closer was the relationship between

David and God. David realized that throughout the challenging

period of the stormy relationship between him and Saul, God

was preparing him to rule over His own people.

Sometimes God tells us that something is off limits, but

we test the waters anyway. When nothing happens to us, we

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foolishly assume that we are above God’s standard, only to

discover that consequences are waiting for us just outside the

door. We need to remember that the consequences of sins are

not limited to those who commit them, but our sins may also

affect the people around us. When David lost his focus and his

relationship with God became tepid, he...

Lost hope and started to fear Saul

Started to listen to other people’s advice

Continued his deceit and cover-ups

Lost his self-control

Did not go to battle with his army (did not do his job)

Had a sexual relation with a married woman, who later

became pregnant (consequence of sin on other people)

Sent the woman’s husband to the front lines to make sure he

got killed in battle; indirectly murdering him (consequence

of sin on other people)

However, David acknowledged his sins and repented and

told Nathan the prophet, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan told David that the Lord forgave him and would not let

him die in his sins. However, because his sins gave the enemies

of the Lord the opportunity to blaspheme against Him, the child

conceived by David’s adulterous act would not survive. (2

Samuel 12: 13)

David grew in the fear of the Lord and followed God's

plan for his life. This does not mean David lived a blameless

life. Despite of David’s several wrongdoings and stumbles, he

always acknowledge his wrong doing, confessed his sins, and

came back to the Lord with all his heart. Therefore, God called

David a man after God's own heart. David’s sinful past (having

an affair, sending the woman’s husband to his death, and having

a child born from an adulterous relationship) may puzzle some

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of us, but God looked at David’s heart, his desire, and his

willingness to follow Him. Every time David stumbled he was

able to stand back up because his heart’s desire was to be with

God.

God has different plans for each one of us. While God

might not call us from shepherding sheep to ruling a nation like

He did with David, God always intends the best for us. “Happy

is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains

understanding.” (Proverbs 3:13) Let us make it a habit to desire

spiritual growth, to be godly, to serve the Lord, and be guided

by Him throughout our life. Little by little, we will notice the

gradual changes in ourselves and in the world around us. And,

the more we get closer to the Lord the more we will become:

Better spouses

Better parents

Better coworkers

Better human beings

Able to stand against temptations

Able to be strong in difficult and challenging situations; that

is the ups and downs of life

Able to see our shortcomings and sins

Able, with a humble heart, to confess our sins and try to do

better

I pray that we all invite the Lord to come to our hearts

and to let Him guide us to the ideal plan for our lives so that we

can be pleasing to Him and become who God has desired us to

be; a people after His own heart.

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When God Choose His Bride He will cover her with many jewels

He will feed her from the food of heaven He will fill her heart with godly desires

He will never leave her in need of anything He will make her feel beautiful inside

So His bride will seek Him in her heart

She will desire all that He commands All she wants is to be with Him

Eagerly and gladly following Him Now the time has come to ask!

Are you ready to follow my steps? Can you carry the cross with Me? Are you willing to suffer for me?

So She answers with no hesitation!

You are who my heart desires You are the only One for me

I will follow You wherever You go I will gladly be Your servant I will put smiles on Your face

I will endure my pains with joy

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I will give You everything I have I will not question Your way for me

I will be as sweet incense in front of You What can be more beautiful for God to hear!

That the one He loves is willing to endure And

Be with Him for eternity

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5

Jonah: The Man Who Ran Away from God

(The Book of Jonah)

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My

voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with

him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20)

Many people wonder whether God is hiding Himself

from them. Is He aware of what is happening in the world? Does

He approve or even care? Has He forsaken His children? Lots of

questions, which, sometimes, may sound reasonable given all

what is happening in the world; poverty, famines, natural

disasters, and brutality of man against fellow man, among

others. The reality however is that God is around us and is

protecting us. He has a great desire to speak to all of us, but are

we listening or are we consumed by what is happening around

us? God is love; therefore, He will never stop loving us or caring

for us. It is against His nature. We are His children whom He

suffered and died for, and rose from the dead in order to save.

Hearing God's voice, listening to His advice, and having

an intimate conversation with Him is something many of us long

for. God constantly communicates with us although His voice

and method of communication varies among people and during

different circumstances. The Holy Bible displays the many

examples of God’s ways of communication with His people.

God had a personal relationship and communicated with many

people in the bible, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac,

Jacob, Job, and Moses, among others.

"Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel

would walk in My ways!” (Psalm 81:13)

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Many prophets received divine inspiration and

communicated God’s message to the people, such as

Samuel, Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, and others

God reveals Himself through nature, such as the wind, the

sea, the animals, and fire

His angels come down and to speak on His behalf, as when

the angel came to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom and

Gomorrah, or when the angel announced the births of the

Lord Jesus Christ and the birth of John the Baptist to

Zacharias.

In addition to these miraculous and personal encounters with

God, the Holy Bible is full of God's word, which we can rely on in

our lives. These include His commandments, prophecies, personal

testimony, the life of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth, and the

instruction to live a holy life, among others.

Therefore, we must be attentive to all the opportunities to

communicate with God, read His word, and get to know Him better.

In doing so, we will be able to recognize His voice easier. One of

the great stories in the Old Testament is the story of Jonah and how

God communicated with him.

"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,

saying 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it;

for their wickedness has come up before Me.' But Jonah arose to

flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord ..." (Jonah 1:1-3)

Jonah was a minor prophet; an ordinary man who had no

special qualifications other than being chosen by God to speak

God’s word to His people. Prophets are usually faithful in speaking

God's word and not their own. They speak God’s message without

fear or concern for their welfare. However, the book of Jonah is the

story of a prophet who ignored God’s call to go and preach His

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word. We also read about the many ways God used to get Jonah’s

attention. Because of Jonah’s zeal for Israel he had difficulty

obeying God's request to go and warn the city of Nineveh; a city

inhabited by Gentiles. Jonah decided to run away from God's

presence instead of having any part of saving the people of Nineveh.

Thus, he fled from God and hopped on a boat to go to Tarshish.

On first glance, it might be amazing or even unbelievable to

see someone running away from God. But if we think about it, that

is what we Christians do every time we commit sin and ignore our

transgressions. We who were baptized in the name of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ do not follow God's commandments and

teaching. Instead of listening to His voice and obeying His

commandments, we run away from Him; just as Jonah did.

"But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, there was a

mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken

up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his

god..." (Jonah 1:4-5)

God speaks to us in many ways. Sometimes He speaks to us

softly in order to comfort us and other times loudly in order to warn

us. For example, He speaks to us through the voice of a gentle

breathe, the wind, the waves of the sea, the Holy Spirit in us, or the

word of the Holy Bible or a sermon. Moreover, He speaks to us

through the problems we face every day or the tribulations that we

get from time to time. But sadly, most of us still do not recognize

His voice. We close our eyes and ears and we miss the opportunity

to listen to His voice.

“Hear now this, O foolish people, and without

understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and

hear not.” (Jeremiah 5:21)

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When the sea became turbulent because of Jonah’s

disobedience, the mariners, "the nonbelievers," saw what was

happening to the sea and realized that this is a warning sign from a

deity. They started praying to their own gods in hopes of finding out

why this was happening. But Jonah ignored the storm and went

down into the lowest part of the ship to sleep. He fell fast asleep and

ignored the storm that was threatening his lives and the lives of the

people on the ship. Then God spoke to Jonah through the people on

the ship: “Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider

us, so that we may not perish.” (Jonah 1:6)

The men were exceedingly afraid when they heard that

Jonah was a prophet and he fled from the presence of his God. They

said to him "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for

us?" (Jonah 1:11) Let us carefully examine what happened with

these mariners. These people did not know the true God but:

They were attentive to His voice

They tried to find out why He was angry

They prayed to their gods

They did not want to harm Jonah, even after all he had done

to them

They feared the Lord exceedingly, believed in Him, and

offered Him a sacrifice

Sometimes we consider ourselves more righteous than

other people, especially the non-believers. We neglect to

understand that God loves all His children, believers and

nonbelievers, and He welcomes everyone who wants to come

back to Him. God will speak to everyone in the hopes of

opening their eyes so they can realize His love for them.

Therefore, instead of considering ourselves more righteous, we

should pray that God may open their eyes and ears to see him

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and hear voice and pray that He may also make our eyes and

ears more sensitive to recognize Him and His voice.

Although Jonah was a prophet, he was not attentive to

the word and will of God in his life. He thought that dying is the

only way out of the problem of preaching the gentiles. But the

Lord did not wish for Jonah's life to perish. He wanted Jonah to

understand God’s ways and love for all the people, believers and

non-believers. Therefore, God prepared a great fish to swallow

him and thereby saved him to fulfil his mission; warning the

people of Nineveh.

The big fish was another way God used to communicate

His love towards Jonah. God was trying to get Jonah’s attention

to understand that He is still with him and He did not forsake

him despite of his disobedience. We too, sometimes we see

God's hand even when we are away from Him. He tries to

remind us of His unfailing love for us. This is another way by

which how God communicates with us.

After Jonah cried, prayed, and fasted in the fish's belly

for three days, God forgave all his transgression and

disobedience. The Lord spoke to him through the Holy Spirit in

him "Yet I will look again toward your holy temple." (Jonah

2:4)

"Then God saw their works that they turned from their

evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said

he would bring upon them, and He did not do it." (Jonah 3:10)

Not only did Jonah run away and hide from God’s

calling, he also was displeased and angry that God forgave the

people of Nineveh after they repented from their evil ways. God

communicated again with Jonah using another way of

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communication. God prepared a plant and made it grow to come

up above Jonah, to protect him from the heat of the sun. Jonah

was very grateful and he slept under the shade of the plant.

"But as morning dawned the next day, God prepared a

worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered." (Jonah 4:7)

Here we see another example of communication through

nature. The plant yielded to God's command and grew and

covered Jonah. And at dawn, God let the worm come and eat the

plant, to teach Jonah a special lesson and to remind him that:

God is gracious and merciful and expects His children to

have the same love and compassion

God can be patient with His children

God wants all His children to be saved

God sends us many messages hoping to protect us from our

ego

God can put us through many tests and tribulations to get

our attention and so He can save us

The worm was God's voice to Jonah saying that the

worm was very tiny, but it was able to destroy the plant. The

analogy is that even small wickedness or sins in our lives will

cause the heart to be blind to God's words and deaf to His voice.

Sin will destroy our relationship with God and His Holy Spirit

in us, if we allow it to do so.

"'The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of

the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the voice of those

who will say: 'Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for

His mercy endures forever' - and of those who will bring the

sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause

the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the Lord."

(Jeremiah 33:11)

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God hears, God sees, God is aware, and He is always

ready to come and help us. And we, as His people, need to trust

Him, have faith, and listen to His voice. We must listen for His

hidden messages to us and pray that someday we will have

eternal life with Him.

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My gift to you

To always walk away with Me To see Me everywhere you go

To hear My voice every time I call To love Me with all your heart

To give all what you have to be close to Me To help anyone walk in your way

To call on Me even when I am right here with you To be My daughter always and forever

To quiet your mind so that peace will cover you To grant you your wish that you be close to Me To give you grace that will be pleasing to you

To come to My table with joyful heart To love Me more than you love Me now

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6

Paul: Draw me Near to Your Heart

(The Book of Acts 7-28)

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon

Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He

also will hear their cry and save them." (Psalm 145:18-19)

We all have egos, but the problem begins when our egos

are so large! In many cases these large egos take over and draw

us away from God. As we grow from childhood to adolescence

or adulthood our lives become filled with ideas, hopes, dreams,

and plans for our future. Almost all of us at times feel that

everything is so clear, our plans are the right thing for us, and all

these plans are achievable. Until we meet the Lord face-to -face

and He tells us that He has a different plan for our lives. When

we allow God through the Holy Spirit that lives in us to take

charge of our lives, our goals and plans change according to His

will and our goal becomes not how to achieve what we decided

to be good for us, rather our goal becomes how to follow Him,

being near to Him, and being guided by Him.

The life of St. Paul is the best example of obedience and

willingness to do the will of God. Also, it is a model in

dedication, love, and faith. St. Paul demonstrated to all of us

how someone can be transformed from opposing God, hating

Christians, and persecuting the church to a person who

committed the rest of his life to serve the Lord and to build the

body of Christ; the church.

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of

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the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life

which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began." (Titus

1:1-2)

The following is a brief biography of St. Paul

From the tribe of Benjamin

Born in Tarsus of Cilicia

Circumcised on the 8th day

Hebrew true and true (Philippians 3:5)

His father was a Hebrew with Roman citizenship (indicative

of high social status)

A very exceptional student of the Old Testament

Lived all his young life by the letter of the law

Had zeal for God but went about it the wrong way, by taking

matters in his own hands

Played a great part in the death of St. Stephen and many

other saints

Came to Damascus seeking to persecute more Christians

Believed in Christ when he was called

Preached to the Jews and the Gentiles

Wrote 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament

The Lord had a different plan for St. Paul’s life and met

him face-to-face to let him know that he has been chosen to

serve the Lord in a way different than what St. Paul pictured. St.

Paul did not become a disciple or a saint immediately after

meeting our Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. First he

accepted the change of the plan without argument. Then he was

baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit and finally he agreed to

follow and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. After he agreed to serve,

we see that St. Paul put his priorities in the correct order. He

prayed for guidance and forgiveness, he humbled himself, he

changed his way of life, he obeyed God’s plan and voice, and

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spent five years getting to know Jesus Christ personally. It was

only afterwards that he started evangelizing the Lord's message

of salvation.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and

that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest

anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in

Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand

that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

The life journey of St. Paul and the many letters that he

wrote in the New Testament teach us so many lessons on how to

draw near to God’s heart. The closer St. Paul’s relationship with

the Lord Jesus Christ, the more he came to understand that:

Practicing and fulfilling the smallest details of the law only

satisfied his conscious; however, these practices did not

create or improve his personal relationship with God

We are saved entirely by God

Without love we do not stand a chance of being close to God

We can only reach God's grace through faith

Commitment to God allows us to bear fruits

St. Paul’s life was transformed after following Christ.

His zeal and courage were utilized to fulfill God’s plans;

preaching the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles, rather than

fulfilling Paul’s own plan to persecute the church! St. Paul

traveled to many places, faced many challenges, his faith was

tested, he was persecuted and humiliated, and finally he was

martyred for preaching the word of God.

"Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by

works when she received the messengers and sent them out

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another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith

without works is dead also." (James 2:25-26)

By faith we believe in God, hope for an eternal life with

Him, trust in Jesus Christ and His promises, and rely on the

Holy Spirit to guide us throughout our life. We should never

neglect to read God’s word, to serve Him, and to spread His

word to others. If our love springs from Jesus Christ, we must

love one another and invite them to come to the Lord as one

body.

Lord, I am pouring out my heart to You Lord to draw me

near to You. Your words open my eyes to see what Your true

love means to me, and all You have done and are still doing for

me.

May the Lord grant each and every one of us a life with

Him for His glory.

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Near Your Heart

Where would I be without Your love for me? Loving You is my life's desire I love the way You love me

I feel You with me in every step I take I hear You whisper to me, “You are a child of mine”

When sadness covers me I see You rushing to comfort me I love You Lord more than my heart can bear It comforts me that You can see what is there

And How my soul is addicted to You

I miss You although You are near to me And

My tears can nearly comfort me Near Your heart where I always want be

And You are the only one who can grant my wish for me

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Part I Summary

In this part we briefly discussed the life journey of six men of

faith. These men lived at different times and places. They had

different backgrounds, different socioeconomic statuses, and of

different age, among others. However, they all had some things

in common. They all had weaknesses and all of them strived to

stay faithful and have a personal relationship with God,

regardless of their circumstances.

Abraham was an excellent example of the humble and

obedient servant so much so that God called “God’s friend.”

Abraham’s faith went through many ups and downs, but

through it all he remained faithful and committed to his

relationship with God. Abraham had moments of fear,

doubt, and did not wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise.

For example, when a famine spread throughout the land he

took his wife Sarai to Egypt without asking God for advice.

However, because of his faithfulness God saved both of

them from a very hard experience (Genesis 12:10-20). Also,

despite of God’s promise to Abraham that he and Sarai

would have a son, he was inpatient and listened to Sarai’s

advice to go to Hagar to have that child (Genesis 16). But

god remained true to His promise and Abraham and Sarai

begot Isaac; the son of the promise.

In his youth, Joseph was not wise in his dealing with his

older brothers. His lack of wisdom and somewhat arrogance

made his brothers hate him and waited for a chance to get rid

of him. God put Joseph through many trails to purify his

heart and his soul so he can save many lives from the

famine, including the lives of his father Jacob and his

brothers.

Job was a righteous man whom God called “a perfect and

upright man.” (Genesis 1:8) However, despite of his

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righteousness, Job thought highly of himself and gave

himself more credit than what was deserved. Therefore, God

allowed Satan to test him in order to humble his heart. Job

acknowledged his mistakes and God continued to bless him

“So the Lord blessed the later end of Job more than his

beginning …” (Job 42:12)

Although David had a heart for God and a desire to follow

the Lord, David was not perfect either. He committed

adultery, and caused the death of an innocent man, among

other sins. However, because he acknowledged his guilt,

confessed his sins, and repented with a pure heart, God

forgave his sins and the Messiah was born from the line of

David.

Jonah was a foolish and self- centered man. He thought that

he can solve his problem by running away from God. He did

not think of others and their salvations because he did not

want the Gentiles to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.

He thought, mistakenly, that these are privileges to be

enjoyed only by the Israelites. However, God used him in

spite of his weakness and foolishness to save the Ninevites.

Finally, we learned about St. Paul and how much he loved

God albeit in his own way. He thought that religious rituals

and rules will please God. He did not understand that hating

and killing others is not God’s way because God is love.

Again, because of his faithfulness, God taught him how to

love his enemies. St. Paul preached the gospel to the

Gentiles; the people he thought were his enemies.

Therefore, in spite of their weaknesses, they gained favor

with God because they allowed God to help them, guide them,

and to transform their hearts. Let us all strive to have a

relationship with God and to allow Him to transform our hearts

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so that, as with these men of faith, if we fall we stand up again

and God can call us friends, perfect, and upright!

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PART TWO

Exploring our Own Spiritual Life

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7

Grace in the Eyes of the Lord

Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we

speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the

iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and

he also with whom the cup where found.” (Genesis 44:16)

The words of repentance are music to the Lord's ears. Our

Lord longs to hear these words from all of us; His children,

especially from those who were lost and have been found.

God’s tender heart is full of love towards His children.

However, some might argue, if that is true, why does He treat us

harshly from time to time? The answer is simple. If we are not

living according to His well and ignoring His whispers to change

our ways and repent, He might resort to harsh treatment to get our

attention. God wants us to understand that we must repent in order

to be forgiven and accepted by Him. Repentance starts by 1)

acknowledging our sins, 2) repenting from sins because they

separate us from God, and 3) by judging ourselves always before

being judged by Him.

We often hear about the “grace of God.” But what does that

mean? The grace of God means His free and unconditional love,

mercy, forgiveness, blessing, peace and kindness that surround us

until we meet Him in His kingdom. He gives all these freely to

everyone, not because we deserve it or we did anything to acquire it,

but because of His abundant love and generosity; His grace.

In The Old Testament we see that God chose to bestow His

grace on some of His people, for He could see their heart and their

desire to walk with Him.

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Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he was

humble and obedient

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8)

Abraham obeyed and followed God's instruction and departed

with his family as the Lord had instructed him

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country,

from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I

will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you

And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will

bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall blessed.’ So Abram

departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.

And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from

Haran.” (Genesis 12:1-4)

Jacob found grace after he repented and struggled with God to

receive his blessing. “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man

wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw

that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his

hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He

wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’

But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’

So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And

He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;

for you have struggled with God and with men, and have

prevailed.’”(Genesis 32:24-28)

Joseph found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he sought

the Lord all his life

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and

he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” (Genesis 39:2)

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In the New Testament, after the death of the Lord Jesus

Christ for our sins and His resurrection, the grace of God became

available and free to everyone and was never held back due to our

sins. This is because God desires that we are all saved and

victorious over sins through the gift of His grace. “And of His

fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was

given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus

Christ.” (John 1:16-17)

In order to live by the grace of God and to reach the goal of

salvation and victory over sins, we must follow God's plan for our

lives. For example:

Grace is like a big check of money that was given to us freely.

In order to enjoy the free cash, we must follow some

instructions, such as drive to the bank, fill out some forms, wait

in line ... etc

Also, grace is like the gift of pregnancy to a woman. But the joy

of giving birth to a child is preceded by labor pain and followed

by a lot of patience and dedication to care for this child

Moreover, grace is like a seed that is inserted in every one of us.

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you ..." (1Timothy 4:14) But in

order for us to feel and enjoy this grace, our life must undergo

some transformation by 1) the purification through baptism, 2)

the partaking of communion, 3) the rejection of our ungodly life,

4) striving to do good deeds, and 5) spreading the good news;

God's word

"For I bear them witness that they have zeal for God, but not

according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's

righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness,

have not submitted to the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:2-3)

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We need to realize that our own self-righteousness amounts

to nothing in God's eyes, and that we cannot obtain salvation by our

works. The only acceptable righteousness to God is the one

provided by our Lord Jesus Christ, and we can obtain salvation only

through Him.

"So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in

as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in. Now the

flood was on the earth forty days. The water increased and lifted up

the ark, and it rose high above the earth." (Genesis 7:16-17)

Noah’s ark had only one door through which he, his family,

and all the animals walked through and were saved. Likewise, Jesus

Christ is our door to salvation and only through that door we will be

saved. The door in Noah’s ark was available for everyone to enter,

but the 8 people saved were those who chose to go through the door

and into the ark. The rest perished in the flood. To obtain worldly

happiness, people try to get it on their own by being self-reliant and

being satisfied with the way they are until life is over. It was like

that at the time of Noah and we still do the same mistake. The

choice is still ours, we can either choose self-reliance or grace

through Jesus Christ.

Finally, why does God allow us to backslide? Backsliding

happens to all of us, even to righteous people, because of our sinful

nature. Sometimes God allows Satan to test us. His purpose is not to

inflect suffering; rather He seeks to strengthen our faith and to

increase our desire to be with Him. He also allows us to be tested to

remind us that we are not righteous on our own, but only through

His grace.

May the Lord's grace fills our hearts with joy and peace and

lead us to walk with Him always.

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I love you and you are mine I love you deeper than the sea

Stronger than the wind Higher than the sky

Brighter than the sun light And

I would never let you out of My sight For

You are very precious to Me You are My beautiful creation You are everything I long for

And Some day you will be with Me forever

And I will cover you with all My treasure

And I will dress you with beautiful coat of many colors

And All of the world will see

How much you are special to Me

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8

Spiritual Growth

My Role and God's Role

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and

fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came

upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through

the apostles." (Acts 2:42-43)

Many of us hope and pray that we may improve and grow in

our spiritual relationship with God. However, sometimes, this hope

and desire are demolished or flattened and we end up disappointed

and discouraged. When this happens, we should ask ourselves:

Are we on the right path?

Are we trying to overcome the problem(s) of our past by

ourselves?

Are we working hard to improve our relationship with God? Are

we giving it all we have?

There is a wonderful lesson to learn from watching babies

grow. In the beginning babies are totally dependent on their mothers

and fathers, but they gradually become independent as they grow.

We can always see the curiosity in babies’ eyes as they approach an

unknown object and when they reach out to touch it for the first

time. From babies we also learn that the more we mature, the more

we change the way we see things. For example, what a 3-month old

baby sees as just a colorful object on the ground becomes a

beautiful beach ball to play with and enjoy as a 2-year-old. As they

grow and become adults, they will share this beach ball with their

children. The same applies to us as we grow spiritually. Our

relationship with God is vague and unclear at the beginning of our

spiritual journey, but it becomes clearer day after day as we grow

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spiritually until we reach God’s intended goal for us; constant

spiritual growth.

Often, we get discouraged when we see ourselves and others

fall time and again in reaching our goal of spiritual maturity, in spite

of our numerous attempts. Sometimes, that makes us afraid to try to

become closer to God because we might think that God is not

approachable or a mature relationship with Him is impossible. But

we all must be careful because discouragement is one of the

effective weapons Satan uses to separate us from God. Satan always

points at our sins, our weaknesses, and our failed attempts to mature

spiritually and, consequently we feel discouraged. Unfortunately,

we all fall in this trap. We fail to recognize that, throughout the

Holy Bible, God has given us many examples of how He loves and

accepts the sinners.

We also do a lot of things in our daily and spiritual lives that

dampen the Holy Spirit in our hearts and interfere with His work in

guiding us to spiritual maturity. We must rely on God's grace to

overcome our fear of failure. Instead of fear, we must realize that

trusting and having faith in God will be our driving force to getting

close to Him.

"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart

cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the way of your heart,

and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will

bring you into judgment." (Ecclesiastes 11:9)

Some of us know some basic things about Christianity and

enjoy listening to sermons and or sing praises. However, some of us

never grow spiritually. Often times the reason is our unwillingness

to put in the effort or commitment needed for spiritual growth.

Others might not have a strong foundation of faith and quickly feel

defeated before they even begin to try.

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When we live with a short-sighted vision that focuses only

on our earthly life with worries and commitments only to our jobs,

our loved ones, or accumulation of wealth, we may achieve our

goals in these areas but will have no sense of fulfillment. As we run

through life in this way sooner or later we grow older and no longer

have the job that was taking most of our time and our children are

grown and have left home. We then realize that we are just

surviving and our life lacks the joy and peace that comes only from

the Lord.

We often rely on our own knowledge and understanding or

good works to achieve spiritual maturity and growth. However,

without allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us by avoiding

dampening His works in our hearts, and depending on it to correct

us, guide us, and encourage us when we fall, we will end up lacking

and disappointed no matter how hard we try on our own. Therefore,

we have a role and the Holy Spirit has a role in our spiritual growth.

We ask, obey and submit, and the Holy Spirit provides.

There is no end to spiritual growth and maturity. The more

we grow the more we realize that we need to learn more and grow

some more; just like babies. Therefore, we need to realize and work

on achieving the following:

We will never reach the state of spiritual growth without

allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us

We should have a desire to commit our lives to God's special

purpose and plan for each one of us

We should separate ourselves from the worldly temptations; we

should be in the world but not from the world

We must follow God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us,

that He may change our hearts and attitude and strengthen us to

conquer any obstacles in our way

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"I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within

my heart." (Psalm 40:8)

In the Old Testament, only the High priest was allowed to

enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the day of the Atonement.

Only the high priest and only once a year was he allowed to be in

the presence of God to offer the blood of animals as a sacrifice for

his sins and the sins of the people.

“But into the second part the high priest went alone once a

year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the

people’s sins committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice

and His blood has given us victory over death. So now, we have an

open invitation every day to come and visit with the King of Kings

and the Lord of Lords. We can spend as much time as we please

with Him and have a wonderful fellowship with Him. That is the

key for a daily spiritual growth and maturity. Unfortunately, many

people turn down His invitation for a football game,

reading/watching the news, and going out with a friend, among

others.

To allow God to work in us we should:

Make it a daily habit to read, study, and understand the Word of

God

Practice Christ-like qualities daily, such as being kind, loving,

tender hearted, patient, and the list can go on and on

Pray daily because prayers help us and strengthen us throughout

the day

Constantly change our attitude and allow ourselves to be

teachable and being rebuked and/or corrected by the Word of

God

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Forgive others; resolve any issues that may be troubling us and

hindering our relationship with God

Confess our sins in order to move our spiritual life forward and

put it on the right path

Partake of the communion in order to gain strength and

blessings from the Lord

Recognize our talents/gifts and determine where and how to use

them for the glory of God

Trust that God is working in us for our benefit and for the

benefit of others.

"So He answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength,

and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke

10:27)

God does not want us to become righteous, full of wisdom

and equipped with our own power in order to come to Him. On the

contrary, He loves the weak, the sinner, and the one in need of His

help. Therefore, let it be our goal and passion to get to know God

more and more every day until we become one in Him and feel and

recognize His blessing in our lives. Only then will His grace allow

us to overcome any obstacle we might encounter on our way to

Him.

"Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but

the proud He knows from afar." (Psalm 138:6)

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The Power of the Cross When I look at Your cross My eyes gush with tears

And My heart becomes faint within me

To see my Lord suffering To see my Lord in anguish

But In the midst of my sadness

I remind myself and say What a blessed moment

What a blessed day When You have conquered death away

When You captured Satan and tied him up When You revealed yourself to everyone When You sat back on your throne again

Everyone cheered Everyone rejoiced

Lord You took the blame for me

You claimed me as Your child You changed my life forever

You gave me all the love that I need

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You spared me from ultimate despair You love me to the point of death

You opened the gate for me to have a new life with You So

I rejoice again For my hope is to be with You

Thank you Lord For loving me so much

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9

Dare to Dream

The Lord reigns; let the people tremble! He dwells between the

cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He

is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and

awesome name--He is Holy." (Psalm 99:1-3)

Dreams! Dreams are the blueprints for a better life. Dreams

encourage us to achieve greater things. When our dreams are

according to God’s will, He will convert them into reality. Nothing

will stop us as long as we have faith and trust that nothing is

impossible with God. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘with man it

is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with

God.’” (Mark 10:27)

So, are you willing to dream?

On a personal level, we may dream of overcoming the many

obstacles and challenges that are preventing us from having a deep,

personal relationship with God; such as sin, guilt, fear, … etc. We

may also hope and dream that our children love the Lord with all

their hearts and faithfully follow His steps. On a broader level, we

may dream for a prospering church that can help and aid those in

need locally and elsewhere, or an outreaching church where many

people would be invited to participate in the Divine Liturgy, or

maybe even a faithful society where sin is not rampant or

unrestrained.

God wants His children to dream and to dream big. He

wants us to prosper, to succeed in all we do, and to recognize and

use all our gifts and talents for His glory. God does not want us to

be lukewarm, but He expects us to be passionate in pursuing our

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dreams; our godly dreams. He wants us to cling to Him and to carry

our cross and follow Him.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear

fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit

unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)

There are many examples in the Holy Bible that teach us

about what God expects from His children.

1- God wants our lives to be fruitful

"Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was

hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found

nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, 'Let no fruit grow on you

ever again.' And immediately the fig tree withered away." (Matthew

21:18-19)

Although it was not the season for the fig to appear, Jesus

knew that this fig tree would be fruitless. Fig trees have small

knobs, the size of green almonds, growing along the leaves. These

small knobs were eaten by the peasants and other hungry people. If

in the spring (approximately the time Jesus saw this fig tree) the tree

does not have these knobs, then the tree will be fruitless in the

summer. Our lives should not be like a fig tree full of leaves

(appearance, good jobs, wealth, beauty … etc) but without figs. We

should guard and protect our little green knobs (little faith) that will

eventfully grow and become a delicious fruit with nurturing and in

the due season. We also should guard our small godly dreams that

will mature and become true in its due season according to the will

of God.

2- God wants us to be faithful servants

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far

country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to

them." (Matthew 25:14)

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God gives each one of us different talents and gifts

according to our own ability. The faithful servant in the story of

Matthew chapter 25 invested and worked with all the talents he

received and brought fruits; whereas, the foolish one ignored and

hid the talents he received and brought nothing. Therefore the

master said,

"For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have

abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will

be taken away." (Matthew 25:29)

We too, should dream big godly dreams on how to work

with and invest in our talents to bear fruits, both worldly and

spiritual fruits. Not doing anything or ignoring our talents and

dreams is the same as wasting our life away; just as the foolish

servant who overlooked the amazing talents God gave him to

further His kingdom.

3- God does not want us to be lukewarm

"And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the

Beginning of the creation of God: 'I know your works, that you are

neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then,

because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit

you out of My mouth.’"(Revelation 3:14-16)

In the book of Revelation, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

showed us an example of a church (or a person), who is lukewarm,

neither cold nor hot. Indifferent! The church of Laodicea was the

only church, among the seven churches mentioned in the book of

Revelation that received no commendation. Being indifferent at

work, with family, and in spiritual life will lead to a fruitless life and

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unfulfilled dreams. Christ asked this church to repent and be zealous

to have a share in the throne of Christ.

It is scary to be lukewarm like the church of Laodicea. It is

scary to come to His throne and hear Him say I have no

commendation for you because you were lukewarm; because we

had no hunger or thirst for His will or words. Yet God still asks us

to rid ourselves from our wickedness and repent; only then will He

guide us through the work of the Holy Spirit, which lives in our

hearts.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that

you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an

abundance for every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Finally, dare to dream godly dreams. Dream to grow

spiritually, to know more about God’s ways, to be a godly example

for your children and others, and, more importantly, dream of living

a life that glorifies God's name. Dream to be like the church of

Smyrna; which gracefully bore her sufferings. The church of

Smyrna was not found deficient and was promised the crown of life

(Revelation 2:8-11). Or the church of Philadelphia; which

persevered in the faith, kept the word of Christ, and honored His

name. Likewise, the church of Philadelphia was not found deficient

and was promised a place in God’s presence, a new name, and the

New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:7-13).

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Foolish mind Foolish one who ignores

All What he learns through the years

For Just a moment of pleasure

He Is willing to risk everything For the glow will fade away

And Slip silently and disappear

And Tears and agony will replace

And His spirit will be full of sorrow

And Weep out of separation

His heart will be filled with pain And

Live with it through the years His bones will shake and aches

And Wonder why his in distress

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For He forgets that without the Lord

His life will never be the same again

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10

Seeking Wisdom

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools

despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)

When God created us, He gave each one of us a certain

measure of wisdom so we can differentiate between right and wrong

and hopefully follow the best course of action for our lives

according to God’s plan. However, sometimes we improperly use

this gift and become wise in our own eyes. When that happens, we

acquire our own and personal wisdom, which will dictate what is

right and what is wrong, rather than what is right or wrong

according to God’s plan for our lives. This personal rather than

godly wisdom will negatively impact our faith and our life and

consequently, will separate us from God and His plans for us.

Wisdom is like a precious stone, a pearl that is hidden from

the eyes. Some people might go to extreme measures to find it and

own it. Many people work so hard to acquire a great deal of

knowledge in order to become wise.

"Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather

than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; And all

desirable things cannot compare with her.” (Proverbs 8:10, 11)

Knowledge is different than wisdom. Knowledge is acquired

through education, reading, work experience, and personal

experience, among others. It is important to obtain earthly

knowledge to improve our careers, personal and family lives, and

our future. Wisdom, however, is a gift only God can provide.

Without godly wisdom, there will be greater probabilities of making

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wrong choices, heartache, disappointments, and suffering. It is best;

therefore, if we have both knowledge and wisdom.

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea

4:6)

“Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of

wisdom is beyond rubies.” (Job 28:18)

When we talk about wisdom, the first person to come to

mind is King Solomon.

When Solomon was ordained king after the death of his

father David, he offered God one thousand burnt offerings.

Afterword, God appeared to him in a dream and asked him to

choose anything and God will grant it to him. "At Gibeon the Lord

appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, 'Ask! What

shall I give you?'" (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon asked God for an

understanding heart in order to judge the people of Israel. Not only

did God grant his wish, but also God gave him an abundance of

wealth and honor more than anyone else in the history of humanity.

Moreover, all the people of Israel feared and honored him for they

saw that the wisdom of God was on him.

When Solomon was a young king, he loved the Lord with all

his heart. He was the first king to build a house for the Lord. He also

was the first king to build a wall around Jerusalem (1 Kings 3:1).

Unfortunately, Solomon disobeyed the Lord and married 700

foreign wives and acquired 300 concubines. These foreign wives

turned his heart away from God and he started to worship their own

handmade gods. Moreover, he became self-centered and that turned

the hearts of the people against him. At this juncture, Solomon’s

heart lacked the most important commandment Jesus Christ taught

us: “… You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with

all your soul, and with all your mind. this is the first and great

commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your

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neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) Sadly, God became

angry with Solomon and tore the kingdom away from him.

“Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this,

and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have

commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and

give it to your servant.’” (1 Kings 11:11) After that King Solomon

fell from the glory God gave him as the wisest and wealthiest man

on Earth. When Solomon repented and revived his relationship with

God he declared that all the power, wisdom, prestige, and pleasure

will never satisfy us if they were obtained and practiced apart from

God. What he meant by that is: we can never be truly happy if we

are living away from God.

Now, if you can have the same opportunity Solomon had

and the Lord appeared to you and asked you that same question “…

'Ask! What shall I give you?'" (1 Kings 3:5), what kind of answer

you will give?

Are you going to ask for better health, for wealth, a happy

life, world peace, or any other personal wish? Would you like Him

to choose for you since you do not always know what is best for

you? Or are you going to ask Him for wisdom?

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and

knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His

ways past finding out." (Romans 11:33)

In the New Testament, Jesus reminded us that wisdom

comes from realizing the importance of caring for our souls and

from being led by the inner voice within us; the Holy Spirit. Jesus

reminded Martha (Luke 10:38-42) that learning at His feet is a wiser

choice and a much more important decision for her spiritual growth

than preparing a dinner meal for the guests. This does not mean that

we should not cook or eat rather; it means not to miss the

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opportunity to worship or to have a personal relationship or

fellowship with God because we are busy doing earthly tasks. Also,

in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21), Jesus reminded us

that collecting and accumulating material wealth, without paying

attention to our spiritual life will eventually make us lose the ability

to improve our relationship with Him because our hearts will be

taken by the temporary joy and comfort brought by wealth and by

the pleasure of the world.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God

and keep His commandment, for this is man's all. For God will

bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing,

whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

What do we do then to acquire wisdom?

Ask God to grant you wisdom (Philippians 4:6)

Study the words of God (2 Timothy 2:6)

Maintain intimate relationship with God (Colossians 4:1)

Listen to a truly wise man for instruction (1 Timothy 4:13)

Search out the best way to live according to the Will of God

(Colossians 4:6)

Use and do not waste your precious gifts (1 Timothy 4:14)

Open yourselves to others and you will receive more in return

(Titus 3:15)

Be alert and careful not to act foolishly (Titus 3:3)

Risk everything to acquire the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44)

The Lord is the only provider of wisdom and understanding.

So let us seek His words in our daily life and submit to His will in

us. Let us take a serious look at our hearts and ask ourselves: what is

the most important thing in our life? Is it honoring Him? Is it the

loving and the love of others? Or is it the fulfillment of our own

desires?

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"I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in

the right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered and

when you run, you will not stumble." (Proverbs 4:11-12)

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God’s wisdom Let God’s wisdom fill your heart Treasure every word she will say

And never let any slip away Or evil thoughts will replace

And dwell in and steel your faith So never forget and never sleep

And He will be your eyes in the dark He will never make you stumble He will lead you in the right path

And most of all He will make you stand through the storm

And in that you will never be alone

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11

Faith versus Fear

“Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who

fear Him." (Psalm 34:9)

God put fear in our hearts for a reason. He did this so we

might chose to honor and revere Him, to detect outside danger, to be

warned that we are away from Him, and to realize that inner peace

only comes from having a close relationship with Him.

Many of us walk through our daily lives fearing one thing or

another. We might have fear of heights or narrow places, fear of

drowning, fear of poverty, and fear of illness, among others.

Sometimes our fixation on this fear may allow it to overwhelm our

lives. This can make us lose control and become unable to function.

The more we allow fear to take over our lives, the more our

lives will be full of unhappiness and doubt. We will find that:

The more we worry about our health, the more health-related

problems we might get

The more we worry about others, the more anxieties we might

gain

The more we worry about our jobs, the more stress and stress-

related illnesses we might get and the more failures we might

encounter

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the

world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor

let it be fearful.” (John 14:27)

Ungodly fear is a spiritual force from Satan, because

allowing fear to rule over our life is a sin. Fear and faith do not go

together because they are two opposite forces. While faith can fill

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our hearts with peace and joy, Satan will use fear as a weapon

against us to take away our peace. He will use it to control our

minds and emotions, to keep us in bondage, and to separate us from

God. Therefore, we should not live in fear and should not allow it

into our lives.

When Adam and Eve had a harmonious relationship with

God; they were happy and peaceful. But when sin entered their

lives, when Satan convinced them to sin against God, they were

ashamed of themselves and afraid of facing God, so they hid from

Him."Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where

are you?' So he said 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was

afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.'" (Genesis 3:9-10)

Nebuchadnezzar was a very rich and powerful king. But he

was unhappy and very troubled because he relied on his own

abilities, wealth, and power to succeed. When we depend on

ourselves and our abilities only, we allow fear to come and dwell in

our hearts. It is a delusion to think that we can be happy and

fulfilled while we are away from God. Nebuchadnezzar suffered a

great deal of pain and lost his mind for seven years. Until he came

to his senses and realized and acknowledged God's greatness and

power. And when he praised the Lord, he allowed himself to be

healed and restored, which ultimately ended his painful experience.

"And at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my

eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed

the most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever."

(Daniel 4:34)

The question becomes “what is faith?” Faith is knowing, obeying,

and believing God’s words and promises. Only through faith can we

destroy unhealthy fear and allow peace to enter into our lives. So

why do God's children rely on themselves in times of fear? Why do

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not they seek more of God's blessings? Why are we too weak in our

faith and allow Satan to take control? Through prayers we can ask

God to grant us peace, strengthen our faith, and give us the strength

to triumph over our daily challenges. Just as Jacob wrestled with the

angel of God to receive his blessing, we also need to be persistent in

our prayers to receive our blessings and strength from the Lord.

Fear is not only for the unfaithful, sometimes faithful people

have their moments of weakness and fearful situations. In the book

of Genesis, we read about Abram's obedience and love for the Lord.

Then suddenly we read about Abram lying to King Abimelech and

telling him that Sarah (his wife) was his sister. Abram was afraid

that the king might kill him to have Sarah for himself (Genesis 20).

In the book of 1 Kings, we also read about Elijah the prophet, who

obeyed and trusted God with zeal throughout his life. Then,

suddenly, we read that he ran away from Jezebel in a moment of

weakness and fear (1 Kings 19). "And Ahab told Jezebel all Elijah

had done. Also how he had executed all the prophets with the

sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, 'So let the

gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of

one of them by tomorrow about this time.' And when he saw that, he

arose and ran for his life." (1 Kings 19:1-3) The New Testament

tells the story about Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water

and wanted to go to Him. After Peter took few steps and walked on

the water by faith, he suddenly became afraid and began to sink. He

cried out for Jesus to save him (Matthew 14).

Even though God's children failed Him in the above

examples, God took care of their needs and did not abandon them.

God is faithful. He never leaves His children nor forsakes them

when they are in their moment of doubt and fear. But He will

rebuke, correct, guide, and lift them up until He brings them back to

Him.

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"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and

of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Finally, when we are faced with situations that cause us to

have frustration and anxiety, we should not take the matter in our

own hands. Rather, we should stop the cycle of fear and suffering

by having faith in the Lord and by trusting and obeying His

promises. Then, He will grant us his peace and will choose for us

the instrument(s) necessary to accomplish His purpose.

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Faith versus Fear

I see Satan out to get me He's watching all my moves

Trying to fill my mind with doubts And to let me think there is no way out

Trying to put fear in my heart To steal my faith away

But Lord You have taught me no matter what

You're right here with me To lead me to Your way

To free my soul from bondage To cleanse all my sins

To light up my way to you So... Lord

Let me humble myself And

Fill my life with faith Only then

Fear, doubt, anxiety Will go away

12

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Facing the Blazing Fire

But Not Alone

"Bless the lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great; You

are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light

as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He

lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the

clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind, who makes

His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. You who laid the

foundations of the earth so that it should not be moved forever."

(Psalm 104:1-5)

Life is unpredictable. One day it is full of joy and one day it

is full of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. We go through these cycles

of ups and downs hoping that nothing will harm us. Usually, we

tend to overlook our past experiences, whether they were pleasant or

not.

When suffering, anxiety and/or uncertainty approach us; fear

and disbelief will accompany it. This combination of negative

feelings will make us feel fragile, unsure of ourselves and our goals,

and desolate, among many other unhealthy feelings. These feelings

should not be ridiculed or denied because our behavior and actions

towards these feelings are the indicators of the level of our spiritual

maturity in.

What do you usually do in the times of sufferings, anxiety

and uncertainty? Do you think you are in charge and that you have

the first and the last word, or do you allow God to interfere in your

life? Some of us think that they are in charge and God is not paying

attention to what is going on. They fail to realize however, that God

holds absolute authority over everything in the universe, including

us; especially us. He created the universe. He made man out of dust

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and gave him life with His own breathe. God knows everyone of us

by name. He knows our hearts and minds, and even the number of

hairs on our heads.

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know

when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You

discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all

my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it

completely.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

(Matthews 10:30)

Our world can change in a matter of a heartbeat. An

unexpected phone call, sudden illness, and betrayal, among others

can change everything in our lives. We can find ourselves dealing

with situations that we cannot handle on our own. Unfortunately, we

might end up with many bumps and bruises if we are not alert and

careful during these turbulent times. Therefore, we must not wait for

these moments to come in order to learn how to overcome them. On

the contrary, we need to learn how to navigate through life and its

unexpected circumstances in a godly way. We should try to change

what we can change and move on with our lives instead of being

paralyzed by situations we faced in the past. And finally, we should

protect ourselves against these situations.

To know how to face life’s unexpected and sometimes

unpleasant situations, we should know more about God and how He

is in control. Therefore, it is imperative to read the Old and the New

Testaments in order to have a broad knowledge of the mighty God;

the loving God. We will also be made aware of what is yet to come;

the new heaven, which is filled with love, kindness, peace, and

harmony, and without pain and suffering.

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God's passion is to dwell among His people and to wipe

away their tears. He gives each one of us a special gift(s) out of His

love for us to help us overcome the times of fear and anxiety. We

should try to find out what is our gift(s), acknowledge these gifts,

and then use them throughout life to overcome pain and suffering.

Some of us are patient, some are bible scholars, some are prayer

warriors, others are compassionate, and the list can go on. God also

wants to teach us different lessons and to strengthen us in the hope

that not only we might grow in our spiritual lives, but also, to know

how to face unexpected circumstances. Therefore, when hurt strike

we should ask ourselves: Can God deliver us? Do we believe that

God has power over Satan? Do we trust that suffering can be turned

into a blessing for us and others? The answers should be yes!

When a shepherd watches over his flock, he does not rest.

He keeps his eyes on each one of them so no one can be harmed or

taken out of his hand. When one gets hurt, he keeps him close, feeds

him, cares for him, and carries him on his shoulders until he is

strong enough to be set free. Likewise, God watches His children

constantly and knows what man hides deep in his heart. He knows

the perfect time to intervene in all of life’s situations, and He is

merciful and compassionate. He always does what is best for us in

order to make us holy and does not give us more than we can

handle.

"Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the

voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great

king over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us and the

nations under our feet." (Psalm 47:1-3).

In the Old Testament, the book of Daniel tells the story of

the three young men who were carried from Jerusalem to the land of

Babylon. During the time of their captivity; their faith and love

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towards God never changed. On the contrary, their faith grew and it

brought many blessings to them and to others. Nebuchadnezzar, the

king of Babylon at the time, made a great golden image of a god and

set it up in all the Babylonian provinces. He sent a word that

everyone should bow before the image. Those who refused would

be cast immediately into a fiery furnace.

The king was informed that the three young men, Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego, did not bow before the golden image and

disobeyed the king. King Nebuchadnezzar became very angry and

commanded his soldiers to bring the three young men to him. Then

he ordered them to bow down to the gold image, but, again, they

refused to worship anyone other than their true God. The king

considered their faith stubbornness and deliberate disrespect to him.

Therefore, he ordered that the heat of the furnace be increased seven

times more than usual and for the three men to be cast into the

furnace. The furnace was exceedingly hot that the flames consumed

and killed the guards who throw the youth in the fire. After the three

men were thrown in the fire, the king could not believe his eyes

when he saw four, not three, men in the furnace and the fire did not

harm any of them. The king realized that God has sent His angel to

guard the three mens and thus, he came to the door and called out to

the three men, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the

Most High God, come out, and come here." (Daniel 3:26) When

they came out, there was no sign of burns on either one of them and

their cloths did not even smell of fire.

King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who sent His angel and

delivered His servants who trust in Him.” (Daniel 3:28) A decree

was made to protect the Jews whose true God was able to deliver

them from life’s unexpected tribulations, even from the fiery

furnace.

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"I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep

your statutes. I cry out to You; save me, and I will keep Your

testimonies. I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for

help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night

watches that I may meditate on Your word." (Psalm 119:145-148)

Believing and having faith is an important key to solving

any impossible situation. Yet we must prepare ourselves and should

not wait until we face any of these impossible situations. Instead, we

must train ourselves to read the Holy Bible, pray, do what is right in

the sight of God, and have a relationship with Him. This will help

us, step by step, to know God’s plan for our lives and will fill us

with peace in the midst of any storm.

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Suffering

Suffering makes life hard to handle Through my tears and my fears, my hope is demolished

When it gets to be unbearable for me I find no other way than to look at Your cross

Surviving through feeling Your pain Suffering is not something far from You

You suffered since the day You were born You never once complained

Through Your pain you made everyone happy The blind, the lame, and leprous rejoiced

You carried the world all alone When You had sorrow no one heard You

Beaten, wounded and hated by all I see thorns pressing and tearing Your skin

I see nails hammered through Your hands and feet I see a spear shooting deep

I see great suffering in the heart How much agony You can bear

But You never gave up hope For

God is always there for You Carrying You all the way through

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So I should never give in or despair

For You will never let go of my hand

Out of the blue someone will come through To make my heart full of ease

And my soul will rejoice and be pleased Thank you Lord

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Part II Summary

We all need to adopt a daily plan to explore our spiritual life. In

order to explore our mind, heart, and soul, where we stand

spiritually, and what we hope in and dream of achieving, we must

allocate a time daily to be with God. It is important to acknowledge

that we cannot go about discovering our spiritual live and working

on growing spiritually in the midst of hectic times and while busy

doing some other tasks. We discussed in part 1 many of the great

bible characters who loved and trusted in the Lord. These people

dedicated some of their time on a daily basis to nurture their

relationship with the Lord. We too, must follow their examples and

make a time to meet with God, to get to know Him, and to grow

spiritually. I pray that we all follow David’s example and say:

“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up

to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber

to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for

the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Psalm 132:3-5)

We can start our day with a prayer thanking God for the new

day, asking Him to keep us and our loved ones safe, to give us the

opportunity to glorify His name in all we do, and most importantly,

to ignite the Holy Spirit within us. Then we must dedicate time to

reading the scripture. I thank God that we live in a time that offers

the word of God in many languages and forms; the physical book of

the bible, smart phone apps to read or to listen, and on the web also

to read or listen. Finally, we need to meditate on the word of God

and to seek wisdom and more understanding regarding the will of

God in our lives so that we might be able to grow spiritually.

In Part II we saw how Joseph was receptive to God and His

words and how the Lord loved him and was with him, especially

during the times of his hardships. “The Lord was with Joseph, and

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he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the

Egyptian.” (Genesis 39: 2) Through the grace of God, which He has

given to us for free, we can overcome many weaknesses and revive

our faith so we can obey, trust, and submit to God’s will for us.

After many blows and hardships, Job finally understood

God’s message to him; God does not accept self-righteousness.

Job’s faith and relationship with God allowed him to freely submit

to the will of God. “Then Job answered the Lord and said; ‘I know

that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be

withheld from You.’ You asked, ‘who is this who hides counsel

without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not

understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

(Job 42: 1-3) Like Job, we too, can benefit greatly from our spiritual

relationship with God. Not only that we will grow spiritually, but

also we will get to understand and see things that are too wonderful

which we did not know. Our lives might or might not have earthly

happiness; however, as we grow spiritually we will be able to

glorify God and His work in us and around us.

Abraham was a very wealthy man who never thought of

building a home for himself and lived in a tent. Material things were

not important to Abraham. He focused his life on his calling and on

heavenly things.

“So Abram said to lot, please let there be no strife between

you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we

are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate

from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go

to the right, I will go to the left.” (Genesis 13: 8-9)

As we grow spiritually, we will learn how to humble

ourselves and to acknowledge God in everything we say or do. In

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return, God will help us through our day and will bestow on us

many spiritual and non-spiritual gifts.

The life of St. Paul was an example how God changed a man

who had a different understanding of righteousness than that of

God’s. God Helped St. Paul and St. Paul responded and changed his

understanding of righteousness. In return, God directed St. Paul’s

knowledge, zeal, and understanding to spread God’s message

among the Jews and Gentiles. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy

and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,

longsuffering.” (Colossians 3: 12)

So yes, let us all dare to dream and let us be passionate in all

what we do. For that is the will of God for all His children. Let us

be faithful servants to our Father in heaven. May the Lord accept us

and grant us His peace and joy that surpasses all understanding so

that we can handle any hardship and to be able to stand up again if

we fall.

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PART THREE

God’s Amazing Work in Us

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13

God is Our Rock in the Wilderness

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our

fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were

baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same

spiritual food. And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they,

drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was

Jesus." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

This passage tells us that in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus

Christ was with the Israelites every step in the way. He led them

through the uncertain roads and supplied them with manna, water,

and shelter. He protected them from the hand of their enemies and,

finally, delivered them to the Promised Land.

When I think of a huge rock, I think of an object of nature

that is beautiful, solid, steady, unchangeable, reliable, and full of

goodness among others. Moreover, when I think of a rock I usually

imagine a spring day on a high mountain with beautiful pastures and

a gentle breeze. I can see flocks of sheep grazing in the awesome

dark green grass and the bright spring flowers filling the air with

their pleasing fragrance. And I can also picture a flock of peaceful,

comfortable and satisfied sheep, and I can see a group of gazelles

grazing and running up and down the rock with sure footing.

We all need a rock to lean on. But, who is our rock? When

we were children, we often leaned on our parents; they were our

rocks. Our parents were the ones who provide our daily needs and

loved us unconditionally. They encouraged us throughout our lives

and protected us. Then, as we grew older, our role change. Our

parents can no longer be our rock; rather, they become dependent on

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us. Our relationship with God is similar yet different. As our

parents, when we are young (physically and spiritually) God takes

care of us and is our rock, but unlike our parents, He remains our

rock forever and our role never changes. However, some people do

not put all their trust in God and look for other earthly things to be

their rocks and foundations. For example, some people may depend

on their own strength, others depend on their financial stability, yet

others may depend on family or friends.

In both the Old and New Testaments, rocks were a symbol

of God because rocks are strong and immovable; stable! Even

pagans thought of rocks as their gods, their fortress, defense, and

shield. The desert of Sinai is considered one of the safest places

because it was full of caves and many rock formations that were

viewed as places of safety and protection.

In the Old Testament:

When Isaiah was encouraging the Israelites to return to their

first love he said "Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness,

you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn,

and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug." (Isaiah 51:1)

In first Samuel (23:25-27) we also see how the hand of God

was protecting David from Saul in the wilderness of Maon. When

Saul tried to capture David by surrounding him, he went to the

wrong side of the mountain and could not capture him. So David

wrote, "I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock

and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I

will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

(Psalm 18:1-2)

In the New Testament:

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Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Therefore whoever hears these

sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who

built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods

came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall,

for it was founded on the rock." (Matthew 7:24-25) In the parable of

the two builders, Jesus gave us a clear example on which rock we

should build our house, which is a reference to our self, family,

church, career…etc. If our house is built on a solid foundation;

Jesus Christ, it will stand the rain, the flood, and any trouble that

may come knocking on the door. The house might not stand these

troubles if the foundation is a different rock other than Jesus Christ.

Let us all examine our rocks and foundations and rebuild our lives if

it is not built on the solid, unchangeable, and everlasting rock; Jesus

Christ.

In Hebrews 13:8, St. Paul tells us that "Jesus Christ is the

same yesterday, today, and forever." For Christ has given His body

and His blood for the salvation of mankind. And He still gives

unlimited amount of spiritual bread and water for those who are

hungry and thirsty for a relationship with Him.

"Jesus said to them 'Did you never read in the scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected, has become the Chief

cornerstone, this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our

eyes'? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from

you and given to a nation bearing the fruit of it.’” (Mathew 21:42-

43)

God wants us to make Him our rock and foundation. His

love and grace are always available to those who can open the eyes

and ears of their hearts and get past the devil's attempts of keeping

us occupied with overwhelming difficulties in the world around us

and in making us too exhausted to remember who our Rock is. God

will fill us with an abundance of comfort if we lean and hold on to

our rock when problems arise. In doing so, we will not be trapped in

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despair by loss of health, loss of job, loss of wealth, and loss of

hope among others, because nothing is too hopeless, too difficult, or

too complicated for our God to handle. God is always present in our

lives and He works in amazing and mysterious ways. To be

comforted and assured of God’s presence and amazing work, think

of and try to picture God's work with the Israelites at the time of

Exodus. Think of His ability to care, to comfort, to teach, and to

deliver from numerous problems; Pharaoh, the sea, the desert, the

lack of food and water, and the wild life in the desert. Think of the

amazing work of Jesus Christ throughout His ministry. How He

healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the sea, fed the multitude,

and, more importantly, how he carried our sins and died for us. And

how He rose from the dead and granted salvation to all who believe.

"The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock

of my Salvation!" (2 Samuel 22:47)

Finally, let us not neglect to renew your relationship with

God every day, because He is our rock and our perfect God. Let us

trust Him and walk in faith with Him to feed our inner self with the

spiritual food that it needs.

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You are my rock Lord

I feel You whisper to me

“Keep your faith and Trust in me” And

Who can shake my faith in Thee Lord? “My peace and grace will cover you

And I will never leave nor forsake you”

My Lord Who can take my peace away?

Will any other rock do? Is there anyone who can be like Thee Lord?

Lord Through my wilderness You showed me amazing things

You carried all my burdens You provided me with all my needs

You never let me stumble You never allowed the devil to prevail in me

You covered me with Your hand You gave me Your spirit to work in me

Lord You are the only rock for me

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14

The Father's Love

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the

world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the

light of life.'" (John 8:12)

As I was growing up, and up until now, I was and am

blessed with a wonderful dad. My dad modeled the qualities of our

heavenly Father. He is an example of godliness, honesty, integrity,

and responsibility. Through his tender love and care, my dad taught

me a lot of things about our heavenly Father.

Fathers are very important in God's plan for a family.

Fathers have a wonderful opportunity to encourage, teach, counsel

and to role model the Christian behavior for their children. They do

this out of the desire to be obedient servants to God and out of their

great love for their children.

Sadly, many children grow up without good role models in

their life, such as those in some of the single parent homes or those

who have emotionally absent or abusive fathers. These children may

go through life without having a good and nurturing relationship

with their dads. Consequently, they grow up missing an integral life

experience; the parental love experience. Therefore, they go through

life longing for true love and acceptance. They desire to experience

and understand unconditional love, which can only be provided by

God.

Sadly, all what they know and experience is the world’s

love; the love that is always conditional. The love that does not

satisfy the heart; that does not accept them the way they are and that

pushes them to do everything possible to acquire it by focusing on

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looks, intelligence, popularity, success, power, socio-economic

status, connections, etc. Eventually, they become like a small boat

in the middle of a wide ocean, completely at the mercy of the

waves. This kind of love is often followed by much doubt, grief,

misfortune, and heartache.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten

son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have

everlasting life." (John 3:16)

The more we read the Holy Bible, the more we learn about

God's heart, which is burning with the desire for His children to

return back to Him. He is the Father who knew us before we were

conceived; He is the one who knitted us together in our mother's

womb (Jeremiah 1:5). Our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally

and desires for us to sit at His table and participate in His joy. He

desires that we choose to have a relationship with Him.

Yet, He is the kind of Father who does not force His love on

us. He gives us the freedom to make our own choice to either stay in

the light with Him or in the darkness by ourselves. If we do not

choose Him, he let go of us even though He knows the pain that this

will cause Him and the risk that we might be lost to Him; but He

respects our wishes regardless of how foolish they might be.

When God created the world He intended it to be perfect for

us and full of true love, but sin brought pain and suffering that

passed from generation to generation. Despite of Adam's sin, God

keeps His arms stretched out to welcome us back home. He never

withheld His blessings and never stopped thinking of us as His sons

and daughters.

The unconditional love of our heavenly Father has been

made clear when He chose to send His only beloved son, Jesus

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Christ, to reveal and minister to us His Father's love and desire to be

our Father. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the weight of our sin and

made away for our salvation, and through His victory over sin and

death we, once again, became His beloved children.

The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) teaches us

how much God loves all His children and how much He is longing

for them to come home. The

Parable tells the story of a father who had two sons whom he

loved dearly. Although the younger son was brought up in a good

home with lots of love and wealth available to him, he desired to

explore the world and enjoy his life as he thought fit. He wanted to

be independent and to distance himself from his father's love,

wisdom and influence. So he asked his father to divide his wealth

and give him his share.

When the father granted him his request and gave him his

share, the son went to a far away country where he could live

without any regard for tomorrow, doing what the people of the

world were doing and participating in their ungodly behavior. When

what he had to offer to the world to be accepted by it ended, his

share of his inheritance, the world no longer accepted him. He found

himself without a home, without money, without food, and without

recourses. He found himself with the swine of the world (unclean

and unsaved). He was alone and so desperate to the point that he

desired to eat what is offered to the swine. He kept spiraling down

and when he was a step away from death, he remembered his father

and his home and made the decision to go back. His father was

waiting for him with open arms. How many people go through this

road? How many make the right decision to return home to their

loving father? And how many are lost forever?

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Another story is the story of Judas and Peter. Both were

among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. They spent three years

with Jesus and both betrayed him; Judas sold him to the Jews and

Peter denied him three times. However, Judas chose not to return to

the father and chose death but Peter, in the midst of his despair,

chose life and with many tears he returned to his father.

In the Parable of the prodigal son we read that the younger

son returned home with a new heart, new understanding, and a new

attitude (genuine repentance). We read that he was no longer a

selfish son but someone who come to realize that living with his

father was the best life in the world, and that he would rather be a

servant in his father's house than be without his father. He was

ready for confession and asking his father for forgiveness. What

helped the younger son were his prior knowledge of his home (the

word of God) and the benefit of having been in the presence of his

father. It seems that some people have to lose everything in order to

come to their senses.

As the younger son went through his journey and his trial,

we need to look at how the father's heart endured his son's decision

to leave and the possibility that he might never come back. Even

though the younger son left his home with his portion of the

inheritance, his father never stopped loving him and was ready to

forgive him. Even if it might have seemed to the son that his father

had forgotten him, the father's love for him never diminished. On

the contrary, we can imagine his father’s grieving and pleading with

God to protect and help his son and to guide him to find his way

home.

Now we can clearly see the true love of the father that is full

of compassion "And he arose and came to his Father, but when he

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was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on

him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." (Luke 16:20) Just

like our heavenly Father, we see how the prodigal son’s father

rejoiced by the return of his son who was once dead, but was made

alive again by the decision to return home to his father. We see how

the father welcomed his son home before he even had a chance to

apologize and how the father could not wait to start the celebration;

to give his son a new life, a life in abundance. Therefore, the father

asked his servant to: 1) kill the fatted calf (a symbol of Christ; the

Lamb of God who was slain for the redemption of our sin), 2) dress

his son with a robe of honor (the robe that covers our sin, Christ's

righteousness), 3) put the ring of inheritance on his finger (a symbol

of power and authority), and 4) put a footwear of prestige on his feet

(a symbol of readiness to serve Jesus Christ).

It is easy to identify with the youngest son who was in need

of healing and forgiveness. On the other hand, the older son who

stayed home and served his father, did all what was required of him

as a son, worked hard and fulfilled all his obligations, was a sinner

too; he was lost while he was still home. When we look closely, we

see how the older brother was angry, resentful, unkind, envious,

bitter, and jealous toward his brother to the point that he could not

enter to his father's house to participate in the celebration for the

return of his brother.

"But he was angry and would not go in; therefore his father

came out and pleaded with him" (Luke 16:28)

Once again we see the father's love for his older son was the

same; he went out to him as he did with the younger son. He desired

that his son enter the house and join the celebration, but he could

not force him. In order for the older son to come in, he needed to

come with a new attitude and understanding that the father's love is

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abundant and he loves all his children equally, but might be

differently.

Here, we come to wonder:

Did he ever get persuaded by his father?

Did he ever reconcile with his brother?

In the Parable of the laborers (Matthew 20), the landowner

paid the laborer who worked only one hour the same amount as

those who worked all day. This should make us realize that our God

does not define His love by who comes first or last; He is a

generous God, who loves all His children and expects His children

to be happy and content in His presence, and not envious with each

other.

"I, the Lord, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give every

man according to his way, and according to the fruit of his doings."

(Jeremiah 17:10)

Would not it be wonderful to be able to make God smile by

returning back home and by being a true son or daughter to

Him? Does a little criticism make me angry?

Does a little rejection make me depressed?

Does a little praise raise my spirit?

Does a little success excite me?

Do I still search for more?

Do I keep leaving home away from my father?

We have to remember that in order to be in our Father's

house we must be transformed to His image and choose not to live

in the darkness, but choose to offer the same compassion He has

offered to us. Therefore, choose to forgive others’ offenses and

choose to heal others’ wounds. Be able to rejoice not because the

problems of the world have been solved or all human pain and

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suffering have come to an end but because one of His children was

dead and now he is alive; he was lost and now he has been found.

May the Father's love cover you and lead you in His way

that you may enjoy His presence in your heart and may someday

allow you to inherit all the treasures that heaven can offer.

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Father's Love

A love that is tender and kind A love that is sacred and divine A love that is the one I long for

A love that will bring my heart in tears A love that will fill my heart

A love that never changes or is worn out A love that sacrificed His only Son for me

A love that strengthens me when I am weak A love that makes me feel precious to Him

A love that teaches me to give all that I have A love that is like the ocean which keeps growing

A love that will open my eyes to see His way A love that always brings me down to my knees

A love that will never allow anyone to separate us from Him

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15

No Fear in the Storm

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'The tabernacle of

God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His

people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.'"

(Revelation 21:3)

Our Lord is everywhere and yet when He wants to announce

Himself to us; He sends His angels and His saints to let us know He

is among us. Our God is an amazing God and His life on earth was a

witness to His greatness and because of His love and mercy, He

called us His children. Although we do not deserve to be; rather,

servants of the living God, He lifts us up and calls us “beloved

children.” He always tries to draw us near to Him.

God’s desire is to be our God and for His children to draw

near to him and come back home. However; He will never force us

to love Him. When He sees that our hearts are in need of His love

and when we initiate the relationship with Him by taking the first

few steps towards Him, He will take a million steps to close the gap

between us.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My

voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him,

and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) In this verse, God tells us that

He is available and near, and when we open the door and invites

Him in, He will be willing to enter (relationship), have supper

(fellowship), and be our master (Guide), our friend

(companionship), and our God. We have to take the initiative and

start the process by 1) hearing the knock, 2) opening the door, 3)

inviting the master, and 4) offering supper. However, the Lord Has

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only one condition: we should give Him the best of what have, no

matter how precious it is, and in return, He promises to give us all

what He has in His kingdom.

It is so easy to be God's friend, yet not everyone asks or

wants this friendship because we desire so many other things and

seek as relationships without being acquainted with our feelings and

needs and why do we desire or seek certain things or relationships,

consequently. Sometimes, because of our ego and self-centeredness,

we are eager to do everything on our own. Consequently, if we do

not achieve our goals, we become angry, depressed, and life loses

its luster and meaning.

God wants to remind us that we must give Him the most

precious thing in our life, our self, in order to be His people. In

return, He will give us a new heart and new mind that will allow us

to invite Him. As we mentioned earlier, we have to take the

initiative and He will finish the work, because on our own we

cannot achieve that goal. That is why many people who try very

hard to get closer to God on their own fail, because they do not

realize that we are helpless without God.

Once we submit our life to God and allow Him to take

control and be our leader, our life will never be the same. We see

that clearly in the life of monks and nuns who chose celibate life

and preferred to live in nunnery or monastery because civilian life

became a distraction to their relationship with God. This does not

mean we all have to be nuns and monks to be saved! God wants

everyone to be saved within the parameters of the life He appointed

for every one of us.

It is a common misconception that in order to be holy you

must be a priest, bishop, pope, monk, nun, or a dedicated servant.

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Moreover, some believe that these are the people who can endure

trials and can stand in the face of the devils. The reason it is a

misconception because, God treats all His children the same way. In

several occasions throughout the scripture He emphasized that we

must come to Him first, no matter who we are, and He will shower

us with heavenly blessings. When we take this first step, He will

come and open the gate and will lead us through and save us from

life’s trials and tribulations.

The more desire God sees in our heart to have a relationship

with Him and to draw near to Him, the greater the ability and will

He will grant us to endure life’s trials and tribulations. He will be

like a pillar of cloud to protect us; a column of fire to guide us, an

ark to save us, and a tabernacle in the midst of our life.

God does not want His children to fight their own battle. He

wants to fight these battles for us and with us as He did with Joshua,

David, Daniel and Hannah. He will be always there for His people

no matter who they are because He can see their hearts and desires.

Let us all be wise and not let the devil fool us that he is our master,

and that we cannot escape. This is what the devil knows: to scare, to

frighten, to cheat, to distract, to play with our minds and our

thoughts, and to make us desire earthly pleasure.

Now the question is: are you aware of the presence of God

in your life? Are you willing to give yourself to him? Or are you

waiting until it is too late and you have lost your eternity? God's

love for us has been revealed and He is ready and willing to help

His children anywhere and in any manner. All we need to do is to

call on Him and He will fight with all His might and all the world

will see that He is the God and the only God that you should desire.

"I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation."

(1 Samuel 2:1)

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Pray With eyes full of tears …

Happy tears for being in His presence Sad tears for all you have done

Pray… With praises and a thankful heart …

For all He has done for us For all He has forgiven you

For all He has blessed you with Pray…

With compassion, always seeking … His words of guidance His words of comfort His words of blessing

Pray… And ask diligently for …

His strength to accomplish His will for you Him to grant you His peace for the day

Pray… And never neglect to pray for others …

To be comforted by Him To become close to Him

Pray…

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And know … He will guide your words of prayer

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16

The Clay and the Potter

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a

living being." (Genesis 2:7)

Making pottery is one of my favorite hobbies; being able to

create something beautiful with your own hands out of nothing is

very exciting and rewarding. In creating a piece of pottery you use

your hands, your mind, your heart/emotions, your skill, and your

ability. No wonder God loves to create things with His own hand

with the hope that the clay will yield to His touch and allow Him to

get rid of the impurities and the imperfection in order to be perfect

and meet His purpose?

Several passages in the Holy Bible describe God as the

Potter and us as the clay:

Jeremiah 18:5-6, God compares the work of the pottery with His

work in us, "Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 'O

house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' says the

LORD. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in

My hand, O house of Israel!'"

Job 10:8-9 "Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an

intricate unity, yet You would destroy me. Remember, I pray,

that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust

again?"

Romans 9:21, "Does not the potter have power over the clay,

from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another

for dishonor?"

Clay is made by mixing earth and water together. In order to create

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something from clay, you will need to have the perfect combination

of both earth and water. Too much water will make the clay

running, weak to hold together, and easy to break. Too little water

will make the clay hard, too dry to work with, and easy to crumble.

God loves to create original and beautiful pieces and He will apply

pressure in shaping the clay. Unfortunately, sometimes we are

unresponsive to His hand and complain when He applies pressure.

"But now, O Lord, You are our Father, and we are the clay,

and you our potter, and all we are the work of Your hand" (Isaiah

64:8).

To be malleable and workable clay in God’s hands, we need to live

in perfect harmony and obedience to Him. We should keep

ourselves in proper environments, watch and monitor the way we

conducting ourselves, and turn away from our evil way. It is our

choice to be responsive to God's hands.

God wants to shape our hearts and minds to create a precious

piece of clay according to His will. For that, we should, as true

Christians, keep ourselves moist and in good condition until God is

ready to shape us and use us. Staying moist, malleable, and ready to

be shaped is achieved by reading and meditating on the word of

God and keeping it close to our hearts, by praying without ceasing,

by being willing to serve Him and spreading His word, and by using

our spiritual talents for God's glory.

"Do not be deceived: 'Evil Company corrupts good habits.'

Awake to righteousness, and do not sin." (1 Corinthians 15:33-34)

We should not allow our hearts and minds to drift away

from the source of the living water needed to keep the clay, us,

malleable and workable. We should run away from the people

and/or situations that might ruin and/or interfere with our spiritual

walk, stay away from the worldly attractions and distractions

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(ungodly behavior, entertainment, music, greed, etc) that will

harden the hearts and minds and make them unyielding. God might

resort to more kneading, pressing and shaping to work with these

hardened hearts and minds.

"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet

been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is

revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1

John 3:2)

After shaping each piece of clay into a beautiful, unique and

useful vessel, the potter makes the pieces ready to be fired up. For

that, the potter will glaze each piece to protect it from the high heat

necessary to finish the process. Then the potter places the pieces in

the kiln on high heat for a certain amount of time in order to make

each piece beautiful, strong, useful for the purpose it was created

for, and to last for a long time. If the clay has impurities, it will not

survive the intense fire and will shatter. The potter will either

discard it, or will grind it to dust again, add water in order to make it

moldable again, and recreate the clay piece again.

We must trust that God can see the good in us; which we

sometimes do not see. He also sees the final beautiful and finished

vessel. Therefore, He will never give up on us and will never stop

working to shape us according to His will. He will soak the clay

more and more; He will work it on the spinner; He will apply as

much pressure as needed; He will remove the lumps and the foreign

objects to allow His spirit to come in, and He will never let go until

we are shaped into a beautiful vessel.

"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and

He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit

whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24).

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Finally, when the pieces come out of the fire, they look very

different than (to be omitted) before the fire. Amazingly, they are

smaller and more beautiful; they shine, and are stronger. But, they

are humble and ready to be used. May the Lord help us through our

journey with Him and use each one of us for His own glory.

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When God chooses His child

He will fill his heart with many blessing He will dress his soul with the treasures of heaven

He will never let him be in need of anything He will make him feel like he is floating in heaven

He will let him see amazing things all day long He will cover him in the time of trouble

He will bestow on him many smiles He will never let go of His child

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17 The Holy Spirit in our Lives

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth

was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the

deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the

waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)

To know who the Holy Spirit is we must understand and

know who God is. God is the creator of the universe who cares

deeply about us and desires to be part of our daily lives. In the

beginning, God created man on His own image by His own breath.

Man’s ego and self-reliance caused him to fail into temptation,

which led to man’s destruction and death and his expulsion from

heaven; from the presence of God.

God’s heart desire is to have a relationship with His creation.

So God continued to look for a man who lives according to His

heart. God found Noah; an obedient and righteous servant. God

talked to Noah, asked him to build an ark, and established a

covenant with him, "'And as for Me, behold, I establish My

covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with

every living creature that is with you; the birds, the cattle, and every

beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the Ark, every beast

of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you never again

shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall

there be a flood to destroy the earth.'" (Genesis 9:8-11). Because

God hates sin, He destroyed the earth and its inhabitant by a great

flood. But those who were in the ark, man and beast, were saved.

God had an amazing plan in mind to defeat Satan, to be part of our

lives, and bring us back home safe again.

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In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon specific

people for a specific purpose to guide, encourage, or direct such as:

Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, the Judges, the kings, and some

other prophets.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord

has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me

to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and

the opening of the prison to those who are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1)

We read in the New Testament that St. Mary, the mother of

God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ.

"Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do

not know a man?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will

come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you;

therefore, also, that Holy one who is to be born will be called the

Son of God.'" (Luke 1:34-35)

During the baptism of our Lord, the heaven was opened, and

the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him in.

“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that

Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was

opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove

upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My

beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21-22)

We were not born with the Holy Spirit, but we acquire it.

The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ reconciled us with God and

made us ready to accept the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In

Christianity, we start by baptism that cleanses us from the original

sin. In some denomination baptism is followed by anointment with

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a holy oil; Myron oil to prepare the baptized to receive the Holy

Spirit

"Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he

is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be

born?' Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is

born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'"

(John 3:4-5)

After our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, His

disciples were faced with tremendous challenges. They were

waiting for the day of the Pentecost to start their missions and to

teach the Word of God throughout the world. It was on this blessed

day that the Holy Spirit rushed like a mighty wind, filled the whole

room where everyone gathered, and came on each one like tongues

of fire. Everyone, being filled with the Spirit of God, gained

strength and power, and began to speak with other tongues.

"'But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from

the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will

testify of Me.'" (John 15:26)

There are many reasons why it is important to acquiring the

Holy Spirit. Some of these reasons are as follows:

To be in the presence of God at all times

To know God intimately

To guide us in many areas of struggle

To give us power and strength against sin

To help us understand the Holy Bible

To grant us many fruits of the spirit according to God's grace

To help us acquire Agape love for God and each other

To counsel us about what God's plan is for us in order to give

Him glory

To help our service to be fruitful

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against

such there in no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

The Holy Spirit desires to work in each one of us and to give

us many blessings through the grace of God. When we are stubborn

and resistant to the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we will be unable

to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit listed up and we may end up losing

not only on earth, but also eternally. So take a minute each day to

reflect on how well you have been doing in your spiritual life.

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When you found me

I can never forget the moment when You came and found

me I was all alone, drowning in my sorrow

With dark clouds hanging over me The wind tossing me on every side

And My sins had me enchained

My suffering was overwhelming Beaten and tortured by my enemies

And They left me naked

And My heart was in agony

And There was no more strength left in me

My life became nothing to me. But You my Lord,

Came rushing to find me and weeping over me You pulled me up

And You hold me in Your arms and breathed life in me

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You opened my eyes so I can see That You fought and took the blame instead of me

You broke my chains away from me You healed my wounds one by one

And Carried me home to You my Lord

So I can be one in You again And

I can be Your bride

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18

God, Teach me How to Love

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and

rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for

yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust

destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew

6:19-20)

The primary goal of every Christian family should be to

serve God and follow His plan and instruction. The life of Jesus

Christ is the perfect example of how to live a Christian life and how

to serve God and others. As Christians we should follow His

example; our teacher and our God. One of the lessons Jesus taught

us demonstrated for us was His love towards all humanity. He loved

us to the point that He gave His life for us so we can enjoy

salvation, redemption, and eternal life.

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

(1 John 4:8)

When we think of love, we feel happy and warm inside for

love is the most natural thing people feel. God instilled it in us so

we can experience His love for us and love for each other. There are

two different kinds of love:

Earthly love - It is based on feelings and the desire for either

intimacy with another person or possession of an object. It can

mean the love of pleasure, lust, money, food, learning, fame,

success, or respect from others, among others. That is why this

type of love is either a temporary or conditional pleasure, where

the giving is motivated by the desire to receive in return.

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Christian love - God is the source and focus of this kind of love.

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all

your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is

the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)

Christian love is not:

Defined by worldly standards (emotional love that lasts for a

while then fades away)

Conditional (expecting in return)

A worldly love

o Christian love is a virtue that results in commitment to the

truth (we love because we were first loved).

o Jesus Christ is our example of true Love:

Jesus Christ loved His father and demonstrated humility and

obedience that guided all His actions during His life on earth

Jesus Christ loved all his enemies and never held a grudge

against anyone, not even the ones who persecuted Him; rather

he prayed for them on the cross

o This level of love sets the standard for us; what we should be

like and how should we react when we are oppressed,

persecuted, or not loved by others

Jesus Christ did not seek to control people, but He respected

their freedom of choice, including the freedom to refuse Him as

a Savior

Jesus Christ cared for and listened to others without being

judgmental; rather, He understood their circumstances and

offered them a way to overcome their circumstances

Jesus Christ took the form of a servant to teach us and show us

how to serve one another in love and humility

Jesus Christ rebuked the moneychangers and the merchants and

asked them to take their business out of the temple because of

His love for God

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Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross demonstrated His

love for all mankind in order to free them from sin

Jesus Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it

o Therefore, as Christian families, we ought to do the same

and love one another in the family and outside the family as

much as Christ loved us.

First Corinthians 13:1-2 teach us that love is the Foundation

for All Virtues:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but

have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging

cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understanding

all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that

I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

Because love is the heart and soul of Christianity, it must be

at the center of every Christian virtue. Without love, we cannot have

a relationship with God. Without love the Holy Spirit will be

dimmed in our hearts and, consequently, we will not have and/or

enjoy the fruits of the spirit. Therefore, when everything in our life

is going well and nothing is troubling us, we should question

ourselves: is everything okay with our spiritual life? Are we

learning anything? Are we working to better ourselves? This does

not mean that life in Christianity is stormy. On the contrary,

Christian life is peaceful and full of joy; Christ’s peace and joy.

Consequently, when unhappiness or life’s storms come knocking on

our doors, we will be able to deal with it without losing our joy and

peace and without being swallowed by it. As Christians growing in

our relationship with God, our spiritual growth is achieved one step

at the time until we have the Holy Spirit ignited in our hearts, He

who will help us reach our goal of eternal life with God.

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The Epistle to the Galatians lists the fruit of the spirit; which

we will enjoy and experience once the Holy Spirit is ignited in our

hearts. "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

(Galatians 5:22-23)

Love: When God's love flows through us, we will be able to love

everyone and reach out to others

o Love will make the other fruit of the spirit to flow in us

Joy: It comes from realizing that God is in control of our lives,

no matter how bad the situation seems

Peace: Is the consequence of trusting God and His promises,

being aware that we are in God's hands, and that God will give

us what we can handle and what is right for each one of us

o It is being sure that God will never forsake us and that He

will help and protect us

Longsuffering: It is the ability to endure our own circumstances

and be patient with others in any situation, because we trust that

God is watching over us at all times

Kindness: When the love of God starts to flow in us and the

Holy Spirit is ignited in our hearts, we will be able to be kind to

others; regardless of the situation. Only then will we be able to

affect other people’s lives and change their attitudes

Goodness: It is to be good in everything we do and to everyone

we meet. It is the quality that allows others to see God in us and

lead them to repentance

Faith: It is a complete trust in God's love; to feel His divine

presence in our life, to witness His power, and to experience His

work in us

Gentleness: It is the willingness to help others with kindness and

be willing to forgive their wrong doing or gently bring it to their

attention in order for them to change their way rather than

accusing them of wrong doing

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Self-control: It is when we believe with all our heart that we are

in the presence of God all the time. It is His presence that

protects us from committing any wrong act. It is also the ability

to control some desires of the flesh and submit our life to God's

plan and wisdom

Aquila and Priscilla were an amazing husband and wife

couple at the time of St. Paul. Their love for and devotion towards

God and others was demonstrated in their teamwork, obedience, and

learning and teaching the word of God.

"So Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue, when

Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained

to him the way of God more accurately." (Acts 18:26)

They knew the word of God and practiced it in their lives

They provided a home for St. Paul (Act 18:1-2)

They helped Apollo and explained to him the word of God more

accurately (Act 18:26)

Their heart was open to serve God and those in need

In Romans 16:3-4, St. Paul says, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila,

my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks

for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the

churches of the Gentiles."

That is what love in the Christian family should be all about:

ready, willing, and able to serve the Lord anywhere, in any way, at

any time, and at any cost.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does

not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not

seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in

iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all

things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

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Pray: with all your heart and invite God to your heart and tell

him that your wish is to serve Him, that you hope to change just

one life (even if it is your own), and that you long to be part of

His body

Read the Holy Bible: in order to have intimacy with God and

know His will for your life

Attend church and a Holy Bible study: to come closer and closer

to God as you get to know Him better and to ignite the Holy

Spirit in your heart to guide you throughout life

Follow God's plan: with love, understanding, and patience

o Husbands- not only should husbands provide for their

families, but also they should love their wives and children

and be the spiritual guide and leader in the family

o Wives- Although many wives are breadwinners these days,

that does not change the foundation for the Christian family,

where the wife should submit to, help, and respect her

husband

o Children- obey your parents and grow in God's love and

knowledge

Work as a team: This is one of the blessings of married life. For

as a team, couples can share joy, compassion, strength,

friendship, and also help each other through difficult times

Learn to be one: This will happen when we accept the Holy

Spirit as our guide and work as a team

o Accept the other person the way they are and embrace it

o Overlook small irritations, blemishes, and foolish acts

o Respond with love and understanding

o Look for potential rather than problems

o Do not let unloving feelings creep into your marriage

o Put the good of your spouse before your own

o Understand that it is not your job to change each other, but

rather to accept one another and love each other

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unconditionally. Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you to a

better life

Serve others as a couple: The true Christian love motivates us to

do God's will. And it is God's love and grace that work in us to

give us the power and the ability to accomplish our tasks. We

must not forget that our priority is to serve each other and our

family first before we can commit to anything else outside the

family, because we want to have God's blessing in that service

How can we serve: Serving others does not need any special

skill. It only needs love, motivation and a heart to serve. Below

are some examples of types of service:

o Drive senior citizens to church, shopping, or doctor's

appointments

o Visit the sick

o Babysit groups of children at the church

o Clean the church

o Serve in Sunday school

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the

power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be

able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11)

When God commands us to love Him and to love each other,

His promise is that the Holy Spirit will produce that love within us

if we open our heart to Him and ask him for His blessing. By

receiving His love, we will also experience the fruit of His love in

our services.

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Teach me O Lord

Teach me O Lord... Let me learn Your ways Lead me O Lord... Let me do Your will

Search me O Lord... Cleanse all my sins Love me O Lord... Let me love You

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Part III Summary

It is always a delight to know that God is loving, kind, and

absolutely a wonderful father. Also, He is just and fair.

“He is the rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a

God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”

(Deuteronomy 32:4)

In the chapters of this part we learned that our spiritual life

grows and becomes fruitful when we commit ourselves to getting to

know the LORD and understanding His ways and will for us. As we

read the Holy Bible and pray for this understanding, we develop a

relationship with our Lord. This relationship helps us to recognize

what is acceptable to Lord, the weaknesses in our life, and to up

stain from immoral behavior that prevent us from getting close to

God.

Throughout the pages of the Holy Bible we learn about

many people who were committed to their relationship with God,

were driven by their love for Him, and allowed Him to work

through them, such as Daniel. Daniel sought God’s love and

approval in every aspect of his life regardless of the outcome.

Therefore, God was with Daniel and granted him many blessings.

“I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have

given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what

we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s

demand.” (Daniel 2: 23)

People are divided into, at least, three groups when it comes

to their relationships with God. There are many who feel delighted

to see God’s work in them or through them and around them. They

enjoy knowing that God is able to transform their life in a way they

never thought possible. Others long to have a spiritual life and a

relationship with God, but because they lack commitment and self-

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control they fall into temptation and/or become lazy and do not

nurture the relationship. The third group is those who are

completely unaware that they are losing their spiritual and eternal

life by their carelessness and self-relines.

Therefore remember, God took the first step towards us and

planned our salvation. Now the choice is ours whether we walk

towards Him. Also, know and believe that God will do whatever it

takes if He can see a small desire in your heart. He will hold you in

His hands, He will work with you, He will strengthen you, and He

will help you to let go of your laziness and stubbornness. He will

also open your eyes to see and understand His will for you. It is up

to you to yield to His hand and allow Him to work in you and

through you.

May the lord grant us the wisdom, the knowledge, and the

will to get closer to Him. May He open the eyes of our hearts to see

the benefits awaiting us by being touched by His love for us, His

salvation that He freely gave to us, and His power that is able to

defeat Satan and to set us free.

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PART FOUR

Attaining a Spiritual Life

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19 Guard your Heart against Pride

"And the Lord said to Moses: 'How long will these people reject

me? And how long will they not believe me, with all the signs which

I have performed among them?'" (Numbers 14:11)

God's amazing work has been clear and demonstrated

throughout the Holy Bible. He made clear to us the many signs of

His existence and His care for all His children. Unfortunately, many

people refuse to submit to God's plan for them and are guided by

their own pride. As children of God, we should learn to humble

ourselves in front of the Lord by learning and applying what we

learn from the Holy Bible.

Reading the Old Testament (OT) is a difficult read for many

of us. This is because either we do not think that it is important or

we do not clearly understand God’s intentions and purpose of all the

events in the OT. Moreover, in many of the stories and events of the

OT we mistakenly, feel that the message of the OT does not relate

to our modern lives. However, these are just stumbling blocks that

we should not allow them to keep us from reading the Holy Bible.

We need to remember that the New Testament (NT) is the

fulfillment of the OT. Therefore, it is important to study both the

Old and New Testaments. In order to have the full benefits from the

reading of the OT/NT, we must pray to God to ignite His Holy

Spirit in our hearts and minds and to grant us His Grace to be able to

understand the His messages to us. Eventually, we will find that the

more we read, the more we gain a better understanding of God's

words. And ultimately, we will reach the point where it is a delight

to read and reread God's words to us and to meditate on them.

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In the OT we often read about people and individuals who

are full of wickedness and who refused to respect and/or obey God's

commandments. We also read about God's anger and wrath towards

His people for their sins. However, in order that we do not lose trust

and faith in God’s love for His Children, we must keep in mind the

following when reading the Holy Bible.

God is great (Psalm 145:3)

God is love (1 John 4:8)

God is powerful (Hebrews 12:29)

God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9)

God is full of wisdom (1John 3:20)

God is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6)

God is righteous (Psalm 129:4)

God is full of goodness (Romans 2:4)

God is just (Isaiah 45:21)

The Book of Genesis introduces us to God and how He

created the universe and everything in it by His own power,

creativity, and wisdom. We also learn about His love for human

beings. After He fashioned the world, He made human beings in His

image and gave them a free will.

"Thus the heaven and earth, and all the host of them, were

finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had

done, and he rested on the seventh day from all His work which He

had done." (Genesis 2:1-2)

God placed Adam and Eve in charge of the Garden of Eden

and had a covenant with them to not to eat from the tree of the

knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17). However, they did

not honor the covenant, and instead, sinned against God.

Consequently, they fell into condemnation and were ordered out of

the garden. Many of us are often puzzled by how only one bite of an

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apple could result in turning Adam and Eve's lives, and, by

extension, our lives, upside down this way. From once a peaceful,

beautiful, and flawless life to one that is dangerous, uncertain, and

corrupt. But there are many questions that we should ask ourselves.

Did God tempt them?

Why did God punish them so harshly?

Why did God allow evil to come to the garden?

If Adam and Eve had a great relationship with God, why did

they not call on Him when they were being tempted?

Why did not Adam and Eve have children in the Garden of

Eden?

How can we resist temptation?

Is everything truly in God's hand?

Is God struggling to keep our chaotic world in order?

Today, we still wonder and ask the same questions. Sometimes,

it is so hard to understand why God allows us to be tested and to

be held accountable for our actions, although He loves dearly.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding."(Job 38:4-7)

Before God created the earth, He created the angles, with

Lucifer being the most beautiful of all angels. However, Lucifer was

never content with his position. His heart was full of pride and a

desire to be better than God. He wanted to take over God's throne. It

was his pride that led to his downfall from heaven to the lowest

depths of the pit (Ezekiel 28:12-14; Isaiah 14:12-19).

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1

Peter 5:5)

In order to understand all of this we need to know the

meaning of pride. Pride is the head of all sin and it is very deceiving

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because it comes in many forms. We can have pride when we think

highly of ourselves. For example we might think that we are:

very humble

not like other people

quick learners

capable of assuming more responsibilities

well versed in God's words

Pride can keep man from seeking God's love, grace, help,

and wisdom and make man perish rather than to admit that he is a

sinner. St. Augustine wrote about pride that, "it is the

commencement of all sin."

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden

of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man

saying 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the

tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day

that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17)

God gave Adam and Eve everything on a platter. He loved

them so much that He made them in His own image and gave them

a free will. However, when God put Adam and Eve in charge of the

Garden of Eden, it was through a covenant. He told them that they

could eat from every tree but of the tree of knowledge of good and

evil they "shall not eat" or they "shall surely die". Adam and Eve

started their fall by misusing God’s gift to them; the free will. They

used their free will to break the covenant and to eat from the tree of

knowledge of good and evil to be like God; pride! Their pride also

led them to put themselves in danger by not asking God for help and

support at the time of their weakness and temptation. They did not

realize that God freely offers us His:

Divine help

Grace

Mercy

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Salvation

Their pride was also manifest when they did not repent or

ask for forgiveness after they sinned. Rather, Adam blamed Eve and

Eve blamed the serpent. They both refused to accept responsibility

and, consequently, they cheated themselves from a second chance

with God.

Through these stories, God teaches us lessons that we be

wise to learn and understand. If we are self-centered, disobedient,

rebellious, unjust, and unrighteous or if we question God's ability,

wisdom, and motives, we will not be able to understand God's ways.

For without God's love, grace, and protection we do not stand a

chance of being righteous. Reading the Holy Bible with this

knowledge allows us to understand the reason(s) of why God was

grieving, angry, full of wrath, and was willing to destroy mankind.

How do we guard ourselves against pride?

Pray for God to help you and guard your heart

Admit that you are short-sighted and cannot see the whole

picture

Know the kind of tricks that Satan can attack you with

Trust in God's love and power

Ask Him to show you His way

Repent when sin gets in the way

Learn how to use your talent for His glory

Dedicate yourself to fulfill His purpose in you

Submit to His plan for your life

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot

be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God

acceptably with reverence and godly fear." (Hebrews 12:28)

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Finally, God is in control. He knows when our life will end

and He knows our thoughts and sees our hearts. So do not let pride

fill your heart. Instead, humble yourself in front of your creator, and

He will grant you His blessings.

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Hear us O Lord Your children are in fear my Lord

They don’t know what to do They’ve never experienced such things before

They yell and shout to You They are waiting for a word from You

They know you’re here with them But

They don’t know what You want them to do Please calm the storm my Lord

And fill them with peace So they may endure

All what will come in their way Don’t be afraid my child

For I am He And I am never far away from you

Hold on to Me Until you come home

And I will Show you all My love for you

To the end I will be there with you

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20

Do Not Let the Past Rules Today

“Remember now your creator in the days of your youth; before the

difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, I have

no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

Most of us have some unresolved issues that happened at

some point of our life, “our past.” Some of these past issues might

be mistreatment by someone, a weakness we are struggling with, or

inability to facing hidden temptation, among others. Almost all of us

struggle internally with these issues and we either ignore their effect

on our lives or pretend they do not affect us.. Until one day we are

faced with the reality that we are unable to control our past and we

no longer can hide from it. The more we insist on ignoring it or

hiding it, the more we trapped and mentally and/or emotionally

crippled by it. This internal struggle causes us to be angry, get

revenge, or to lose hope.

When everything seems to be unclear and irresolvable, it is

best to seek what is heavenly. God has given us many examples in

the bible on how to deal with our internal struggles and these

examples teach us how to deal with our own weakness.

“Then Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him

until the breaking of day. Now when he saw that he did not prevail

against him, He touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of

Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” And He said,

‘Let me go for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go

unless you bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ he

said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said,‘ your name shall no longer be called

Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men,

and have prevailed.’” (Genesis 32:24-28)

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Our past can ruin or, at least, interfere with our present and

future if we do not deal with it and allow it to rule our life. To avoid

that, we must become aware of and acknowledge all the stumbling

blocks to a good relationship with God and get rid of them instead

of dwelling on the past and its issues.

Jacob was a man with many faults. For example, in one

selfish act, he deceived his father Isaac, and cheated his brother

Esau of the blessings by his father, which was his birthright as the

elder son (Gen.27:27-28, 33-36). Jacob became very afraid of his

brother and had to escape and leave his father’s house. When he

became greatly afraid for his life, he found God as His refuge and

demanded His blessing.

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but

one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and

reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” (Philippians 3:

13)

Sometimes God will allow His children to go down and

bottom out in order to pull them up and, hopefully, they choose to

stay up. Some of us tend to collect unneeded items instead of

regularly sorting through them and discarding the unwanted, such as

magazines, books, papers, cloths...etc. Little by little we run of

space. Again, instead of sorting and discarding, we box and hide the

unwanted items and we forget about them. Until one day the

hording becomes a stressful problem that needs to be dealt with.

The same is true in our life. If we horde our past problems and do

not deal with them, one day these problems may destroy our present

and our future.

St. Paul is an excellent example of how to face,

acknowledge, and deal with past issues and how not to let it

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interfere with his present and future. St. Paul persecuted many

Christians, but he did not allow his past to interfere with his future

and his goal to walk with God. After he acknowledged his mistakes

and wrong doing, he repented and sought to change the direction of

his life and walk with God according to God’s will and not his own.

Therefore, his heart and mind were filled with the responsibility to

evangelize everywhere he went and to tell his story in order to help

others to overcome their weakness and past problems and come to

God in order for them to be healed.

“Unto you I left up my eyes, O you who dwell in the

heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their

masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our

eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.” (Psalm

123: 1)

Let us not allow our hearts to be filled with anger or revenge

against those people who have wronged us, but rather let us insist

on doing what is right in the sight of God. Pray for those who have

wronged intentionally or unintentionally and pray for yourself to

have the grace to forgive, the wisdom to repent, and ability to get

back on the right track, leaving all things to rest in God’s hand. He

will be the judge.

For we know Him who said, “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will

repay." and again, "the LORD will judge His people.”’ (Hebrews

10:30)

In the story of Joseph, we clearly see God allowing Joseph

to struggle for discrimination by his brother and injustice at work

for many years. God used these circumstances to teach Joseph His

ways, to strengthen him, to prepare him for the huge responsibility

that was coming ahead, and to grant him His many blessings. The

life of Joseph is a good example of a good servant of God, who did

not dwell on or blame others for his struggles. Rather, he dedicated

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his life to God whenever and wherever He led him and had had a

thankful heart at all times.

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant

it for good, in order to bring it about as it this day, to save many

people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

Joseph did not seek revenge, even when he was able to.

Instead of revenge and anger, he put the matter in God’s capable

hands and let Him judge the people responsible for his suffering.

Joseph also trusted that in God’s wisdom, there was a reason for all

of what happened in his life.

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in

the sight of all men.” (Romans 13: 17)

If you feel that your life is dark and you have no more light

in you because of your past experience(s) and the old scar in your

heart, let all the past issues rest in God’s hand and let the Holy

Spirit do His work in you with mending, healing, and filling you

with light. Give yourself a chance to start over with a new heart full

of gratitude to God and mercy to everyone who wronged you, then

you will be able to forgive and the past will no longer interfere with

the present and/or the future.

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Prayers It is not about the words I say

It is what I truly feel inside It reminds me to be thankful It allows God to see my tears

It brings me closer to God It reminds me with all His great work in me

It protects me from doubts It feeds my soul and mind

It reminds me of the Lord’s presence It awakens my faith

It lets me hear the voice of One I love It makes me stay on the right track

It covers me in the day of my distress Most of all

It makes my spirit grow and multiply Thank you Lord for allowing me to pray to You

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21

Repentance Leads to a Joyful Life

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted

out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of

the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

Repentance is and important part in Christian life. However,

many of us are not aware of its importance and feel and/or think that

it is humiliating to confess ones sins. Moreover, many of us do not

see the connection between repentance and joy. We all sin, but if we

ignore the sin and do not repent, this sin becomes a habit or an

addiction and, eventually, we will become slaves to sin. When we

are enslaved to sin and unable to free ourselves from its claws, we

start to experience many negative feelings, such as weakness,

frustration, guilt, and shame. Consequently, we will experience

mourning, sorrow, and tears instead of joy.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one

another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a

righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

When we find ourselves enslaved to a sin that we cannot

overcome or when we feel hopeless in any situation, we should

remember that nothing is too hard for our Lord to fix. We just need

to open our heart to Him and invite Him to take over. Then, He will

guide us and help see the right path.

“… lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil

one….” (Matthew 6:13)

In the story of the Samaritan women in John 4:1-30, Jesus

passed through Samaria and sat at Jacob's well at noontime while

His disciples went to town to buy food. Was this a coincidence?

Was He just passing by and happened to meet with this woman?

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No, it was not a coincidence. Throughout our life many things

happen at just the right time. We may attribute it to luck or

coincidence, but when we are dealing with God and His plans to our

life, these occurrences are never a coincidence. Rather, these so

called luck or coincidences are the plan and the will of God in our

life. In many ways, the story of the Samaritan woman affects each

and every one of us. It teaches us so much about God's plan for each

one of us and our choice to either accept or reject His plan for our

life.

"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to

her, 'Give me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city

to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, 'How is it

that, you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?'

For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." (John 4:7-9)

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to the well at noon, for He knew

that this soul was in need of salvation. No one comes to the well at

the noon hour, but this sinful, Samaritan woman had chosen this

hour to be alone at the well because she was an outcast and rejected

by everyone in town. Jesus had compassion on her and did not treat

her like everyone else. Instead, He spoke to her gently and that

made her pour her heart out to Him. Moreover, Jesus Christ started

the conversation with her because he knew that she would not start

the conversation with Him. At the time of this story, the Jews

considered the Samaritans Gentiles and had enmity with them. But

Jesus did not consider her and enemy or an outcast. She was like all

of us, a sinful person in need of love, acceptance, and salvation.

Therefore, He asked her for a drink of water and gradually invited

her to ask Him for the living water. She did not waste the

opportunity. She asked for the living water and she received.

Jesus Christ never condemned her for living in sin, but

instead He found a way to comfort her and praise her for telling the

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truth about her living condition. Talking with the Lord and

admitting the sin helped the Samaritan woman to see that He is not

just any man passing by, but He is the Messiah. Suddenly she was

filled with the living water in her spirit and she became full of zeal

and eagerness to tell her story so others can have the same joy she

had experienced. She left her jug of water (her earthly needs) in

order to run and tell the whole town about the Messiah, inviting

everyone to come and discover Him for himself or herself.

It was not impossible for a sinful woman to change her way

and attitude and become one of Jesus Christ's followers. This is

because when the Lord touches our heart, we feel something special

that we have never experienced before. We long for this relationship

and wish to submit our life to His will as if we are very thirsty and

longing for a cold sip of water. Only then will we become the best

we can be and have the true joy that comes from the heart.

"And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when

she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought

an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him

weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped

them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed

them with the fragrant oil." (Luke7:37-38)

What a wonderful picture of a repentant soul; to give all she

had to the One who is worthy of praise. This woman also, lived in

sin all her life and was known for it by everyone in town. She was

touched by the Lord's love and kindness. When she heard that Jesus

Christ is at the Pharisee's house, although she was not invited, she

went there because she wanted to see Him. Her intent was to come

near to Him, showing Him what His presence in her life meant to

her. She did not speak a word but her actions were enough to say it

all, as it showed her ultimate love for her Savior.

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Everyone watched her while she wept with sorrow and her

tears of repentance flowed down His feet. Then she wiped His feet

with her own hair as a sign of humility. Her kisses were filled with

gratitude for His acceptance of her repentant heart. She anointed

Him with the most expensive perfume that was paid for by the many

sins that she had committed. And she poured it all out as a love

offering to the one she desired to commit her life to for her many

sins had been forgiven.

"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that

you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that

the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your

eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke

and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Revelation 3:18-

19)

Sin will find a perfect home to come, grow, and multiply in

if we allow it to invade our thoughts, hearts, and lives. So always be

prepared to shut the door in the face of sin, and do not allow a few

moments of pleasure to destroy your relationship with your Creator.

Remember that sin is like a thief stealing what belongs to

God. By fasting and praying, you open the door for the Lord to

cleanse your heart and give you light and grace to equip you to fight

and stand firm against temptation. Most importantly, it allows you

to remind yourself that there is nothing impossible for God,

encouraging you to seek Him every chance you get.

Finally, may the Lord open our eyes to see the importance of

repentance in our life with Him, to seek it with hope of forgiveness,

and to gain a joyful life with Him.

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You are the one You are the one my heart desires

I wish to gave You everything I have My heart, my life, all my dreams, and my pain

To lead me to what is pleasing to You To mold me in Your own image

And make me just like You I wish You walk with me everywhere I go And holding my hand all the way through

Only then No matter where I go and what I face

I will not be worried or afraid For

You are the only One who can Lift me up and carry me through my day

You are the only One who can Forgive my sin and iniquity

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22

The Attitude of Forgiveness

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed

for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,

and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be

kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as

God in Christ also forgave you." (Ephesians 4:30-32)

Every now and then, we face unexpected situations that tend

to complicate our lives. Most of these situations can be easily dealt

with, such as not seeing “eye-to-eye” in a certain circumstance or a

simple disappointment, etc. But because we are stubborn and filled

with self-righteousness and pride, being right becomes more

important than letting the problem slide in peace. Although we

might think ourselves as godly and righteous people, not forgiving

those who do us wrong makes the ungodly feelings grow and fester

in our hearts. Eventually, the small problem becomes like a weed in

the middle of a beautiful garden. If the gardener does not tend to it

and take time to pluck it out and treat the soil beneath it, it will grow

stronger, develop deeper roots, multiply, and will, eventually, ruin

the rest of the garden.

Unfortunately, some people consider forgiveness to be a

myth or a, at best, a wonderful idea. Others think it is an impossible

thing to do and it is easier to be angry and get even with someone

than to forgive. Forgiving to them means you are weak, or you have

to give up all your rights, and/or you have to ignore the hurt you

feel. On the other hand, some people may only forgive minor things,

but not major things. Therefore, we must examine how God goes

about forgiveness. God does not differentiate between small or big

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sins. God will forgive all of our sins if we come to Him,

acknowledge and confess our trespasses, and repent from these sins.

It is normal for human beings to experience different kinds

of feelings, especially sadness and joyfulness. And it is very hard to

ignore the pain and suffering one might go through in situations of

abuse, violence, death of a loved one, among others. What we need

is to acknowledge and respect our feelings and give pain the space

and time needed for healing. We also should not allow ourselves to

be swallowed up and choked by the thorns of pain and suffering

because of our pride and resentment, but we can overcome these

negative feelings of hurt, pain, and suffering through forgiveness.

In many instances we not only have grudges against each

other, but also against God if:

God does not grant us our wishes

We lose a loved one

We lose our job, business, or fortune

We are facing a hardship

In these situations, many of us go through so many negative

emotions; holding a grudge, resentment, bitterness, disappointment,

etc. and, more importantly, sadness, pain, and suffering. We waste

our time and energy in conflicts and frustration, and sadly, may end

up with many health problems. Most of all, we allow small or

relatively small problems to separate us from the Lord and others.

However, if we practice forgiveness, we may overcome pain and

replace it with peace and joy. In this case, pain might be an

instrument to make us stronger mentally and spiritually.

Because of our pride and self-righteousness, one of the

hardest things we can do at home, at work, and at church, is to be

able to look at others and:

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Say "I am sorry, forgive me"

See the best in others

Give others the benefit of the doubt

Swallow our pride

Remember that the Lord forgave us first

Humble ourselves

Change our attitude

Change our expectations

Open ourselves to other opinions

Seek God's love first

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything

against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also

forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will

your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25-26)

In the parable of the unmerciful servant (Mathew 18:23),

Jesus drew for us a clear picture of forgiveness. The parable

describes a servant who owed his king ten thousand talents and he

could not pay him back. The king was kind, compassionate, and

forgave his servant his debt. That same ungrateful servant turned

around and demanded that his fellow servant, who owed him a

much smaller debt, to pay him in full. When the fellow servant

asked for mercy and forgiveness because he could not pay his debt,

the ungrateful servant put him in prison. When the king heard what

happened, he called the ungrateful servant, scolded him, and put

him in prison until he paid his debt in full.

Jesus taught that when we pray we should say, "… Forgive

us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…"

How can we ask God to forgive our faults, iniquities, and all our

wrong doings, and at the same time we hold grudges in our heart

against our friend, neighbor, or family and do not forgive them?

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Moreover, how can we ask the same friend, neighbor, or family

member to forgive us if we do not forgive them first? And how

would life at home, church, office, or the street would look like if

we do not forgive each others? That is why Jesus gave us what is

known as “The Golden Rule.”

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also

to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

There are many reasons why it is best to forgive and let go

of pain, sadness and frustration. For example, forgiveness will:

End the cycle of hurt and resentment

Help us rise above vengeance and rage

Teach us to fight for the voice that is telling us the right from

wrong

Stop us from hurting ourselves and others

Help the Holy Spirit to work in us

Bring harmony to our spirit in the midst of painful feelings and

grief

To overcome hurt and grudges we need to:

Escape to a quiet place. There is always a way out when we put

our heart to work to hear the soft spoken words God says to our

inner spirit.

Listen to a good word of advice from a wise friend, family

member, or a clergy. This might help us hear the truth and open

our eyes to new possibilities and perspective that can bring us to

a peaceful and comfortable solution.

Know that you need to have an active role and to take some

actions to solve the problem. It is your forgiveness!

Ask yourself the following questions: why do I keep avoiding

the problem? What do I seek for myself? How can I look at the

situation from a different perspective? How can I solve the

problem?

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o Reflect and pray about the problem

o Ask God to invite you back to His flock

o Ask God to help and guide you by presenting your case in

front of Him with

sorrow and repentance

Remember that in order to forgive you will need:

o To be brave

o Determination

o Positive thinking

o A loving heart

"Then Peter came to Him and said 'Lord, how often shall my

brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’

Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to

seventy times seven.'" (Mathew 18:21-22)

God in His mercy towards us forgives us continually and He

expects His children to follow His example. Do not waste your time

and energy hating, fighting, and isolating yourself for love cannot

live or grow in hard soil. Instead, focus on your main goal and invite

the Lord to work in you and He will pull you up every time you are

in need. He will give you many blessing from the Holy Spirit to

strengthen you and to heal your wounds.

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What we learned about forgiveness

Without love in your heart you cannot appreciate each moment

it is easy to invite grudges but your heart will be filled with hate

Blessing only comes from God

will make you blossom through the storm rejoice through pain and suffering

praise the Lord in the midst of darkness

In this life there is always something to be learned something to improve on

something you can expect to happen so… be prepared and be faithful to the end

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23

Growing our Relationship with God

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to

pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge

of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That you may

have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in

every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

(Colossians 1: 9-10)

Growing and enhancing our relationship with God requires,

time, energy, effort, and commitment to make successful and

pleasing to God. These ingredients are required for any other earthly

successful relationship between spouses, family, friends, and

colleagues. Although many of us wish that our relationship with

God grow, many of us do not or will not put in the effort needed for

this relationship. Instead, many of us complain about the difficulty

in having and maintaining a relationship with God. In doing so, we

really do miss. The blessings (e.g. unconditional fatherly love, joy,

peace …etc) that come from a commitment to grow one’s

relationship with God far exceed any difficulty in growing and

maintaining this relationship. These blessings make life bearable

and peaceful in the midst of tribulations. “Now he who plants and

he who waters are one. And each one will receive his own reward

according to his own labor.” (1 Corinthians 3:8)

God desires to have a very close relationship with us. He

wants to be a father to us; not any father, but a father who died for

His sons and daughters. But in order for this relationship to happen,

God allows to pass through different tests according to each one’s

ability. This testing sometimes feels like going to a doctor’s office,

which, sometimes, can be uncomfortable. In most cases, the doctor

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will order some diagnostic tests, such as blood work, X-ray, MRI …

etc. But in order to know the status of our health and whether we

need treatment, we must endure the visit and the tests. Then the

doctor might suggest that we need to have medicine or to have

surgery or we need to avoid certain types of food to cure our

systems. God is the doctor of our heart and soul. He knows our

hearts, but He allows us to be tested us so we can examine ourselves

and know where we stand in our relationship with Him.

“Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now

behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax

collector, and he was rich. And sought to see who Jesus was, but

could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he

ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He

was going to pass that way.” (Luke 19: 1-4).

The story of Zacchaeus is one of the stories that illustrate for

us the different stages of spiritual life. Many of us would like to

know about God and maybe see Him, but from a distance! They

look from afar, they read, study the scripture, listen to many

sermons and they may also talk about God, but they never

experienced a true relationship with Him.

“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw

him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for

today I must stay at your house. So he made haste and came down,

and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19: 5-6)

When our Lord Jesus Christ saw that Zacchaeus had the

curiosity to know Him, He came and invited him to come down and

meet Him face to face. This is the time when God asks us to go to

the deep, to be committed to follow Him, and act as children of

God. Many will refuse to come down and many will run away, but

here we see that Zacchaeus did the right thing and received our Lord

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and Savior in his home, obeyed the Lord (he came down and

welcomed Christ in his home), and grew to the next level of his

spiritual life.

“But when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, He has

gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” (Luke 19: 8)

There are few very important points that we want to

consider:

We all are human beings and, hence, we all are sinners. There is

no such thing as a perfect person. Therefore, the

argument/accusation of the Pharisees are invalid

Walking with God is not going to shield us from tribulations and

criticism. Zacchaeus immediately ran into worldly problems

when he accepted Christ

After choosing the narrow road to follow Christ, some will try to

persuade us or make it very hard for us to continue on that road

“Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord look, Lord, I

give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from

anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” (Luke 19: 8)

When the eyes of Zacchaeus’s heart were opened, he felt a

great desire to be with our Lord Jesus Christ and that moved him to

another level of his spiritual life. Zacchaeus chose to repent and do

what is right in the sight of God, becoming obedient to Him in

everything.

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a

child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away

childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13: 11)

Although Zacchaeus was a tax collector and became very

rich by dishonesty and adding undue financial burden on the people,

he followed a pattern that led to growth in his spiritual life and to

his salvation.

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He heard about Jesus Christ and he did not ignore the news

(level 1); instead

He wanted to see Him, so he went ahead of the crowd to wait for

Jesus (level 2)

He did not allow obstacles to prevent him from seeing Jesus

(level 3), so he climbed the sycamore tree

He waited for Jesus and was attentive to what Jesus will say or

do (level 4)

He obeyed and came down from the tree when Jesus called him

(level 5)

When Jesus told him He wants to come to his house, he agreed

and welcomed Him (level 6)

When he had Jesus in his house and sat next to Him, his eyes

were opened and he saw and acknowledged his sins and wrong

doing (level 7)

He vowed to correct the wrongs in his life to the best of his

ability (level 8)

Knowing God brings so much joy in our hearts and leads us

to great faith in Him, and faith will lead us into intimacy with Him.

Therefore, never miss the opportunity to be part of God’s family.

We cannot fathom or understand the depth of God’s love

towards us; His children. Imagine a mother who is expecting a

child. Usually, she is joyful that her baby will be born soon.

Throughout pregnancy she makes lists for all the preparations

needed to welcome her newborn; books, toys, bottles, clothes,

towels, etc. She is usually full of enthusiasm, anticipation and love.

She will dream about all the things that she will do with her baby

and all the beautiful moments that she will spend with him or her.

Now imagine what the child will feel when the loving arms of

his/her mother is seen for the first time, arms that will care for

him/her and fulfill all his/her needs and desires. The baby will

certainly respond with love, trust, and a thankful heart. He/she will

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also be longing for the mother’s arms, voice, and care. The baby

will be attentive to her, will run to her every anytime she is needed.

Then he/she will show thankfulness and obedience.

That is how God feels about each and every one of us. Each

one is very precious and special to Him. God wants to pour His love

and care on each one of us and help us to mature to the person that

we ought to be so that in the end, we can have life and a special

relationship with Him. In response to His great love and care, as

babies, we must respond by love, trust, obedience and thankfulness.

Jesus said to him, “you shall love the Lord your God with all

your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the

first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, “you

shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments

hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Growing with God is exactly the same. We start by

understanding what He went through because of His love for us, and

by believing that He loves us, He died for us, and that He wants to

be part of our lives in order to lead us into salvation. We get to

know Him better and have a simple conversation with Him. The

more we love Him and trust Him, the more we depend on Him,

obey Him, and want to be pleasing to Him.

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My Father

My Father’s love never fails to comfort me

He is always there for me He is always there to give me abundant love To comfort me when I am lost in confusion

To hold my hand when I am drowning in sorrow My Father’s love never fails to comfort me

He is always there for me To touch my heart when it is full of agony

To wipe my tears when I no longer can To grant me a smile in the middle of my worry

My Father’s love never fails to comfort me He is always there for me

To whisper in my ear when I am in need for a kind word To open my eyes when I no longer can see

To turn my triumphs into to a blessing for me My Father’s love never fails to comfort me

He is always there for me

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24 Sin and Spiritual Blindness

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man

or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither

this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be

revealed in him." (John 9:1-3)

Our Lord Jesus Christ, clearly, stated that there was no

correlation between physical infirmity (blindness in this case) and

the sins of this man and/or the sins of his parents. Therefore, birth

defects and physical infirmities are not due to spiritual weakness or

sin; because we are all born in sin.

However, some physical suffering can happen due to our life

style: Such as excessive drinking that can damage the liver and may

lead to accidents; addiction to street drugs or pain killers that can

alter brain functions, may cause HIV or hepatitis, and may also lead

to accidents; and sexual promiscuity that can lead to venereal

diseases and/or HIV aids.

Moreover, God may allow physical infirmities and suffering

to:

Purify our sins: God in His love for His children sometimes

allows physical suffering in order to open our eyes so we can

see and recognize the narrow road that leads us back to Him.

Like gold that requires high heat to make it pure

Bring us; His children even closer to Him. The more we get

closer to our Lord Jesus Christ through praying, fasting,

repentance, reading His word, and partaking of the Holy

communion, the more we go through the test of faith and

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endurance, which sometimes require physical suffering to bring

us or our loved ones closer to the Lord

On the other hand, there is spiritual infirmities and

blindness, which are caused by our sins. This can happen to anyone

who refuses to accept God in his/her heart, those who are selfish or

full of pride, and those who have no love and kindness toward

others. The Pharisees are the perfect example of the spiritually

infirmed. They were spiritually blind and did not see Christ’s

amazing work. They were spiritually deaf and did not hear His

teaching and how the law has been fulfilled in Him. They were

spiritually mute and could not speak the truth. Instead, they

condemned and tried to find faults in God's work and in those who

followed Christ. They harden their hearts and filled it with hate and

envy and, consequently, their choices prevented them from

experiencing God's amazing work and love around them.

"Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let

your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me."

(Psalm 40:11)

The world around us is full of troubles and sin, but it also

has Christ and His children who reflect His love and goodness in

their life. However, sometimes we go through moments of doubt

and moments of faith and life seems to be like a roller coaster that is

hard to control. Now, imagine you are driving on a major highway

in a large city. What you see is tall buildings, too many large or

small cars, signs, people …etc. Now imagine that you are on an

airplane flying above the same city. The same things that appeared

so big become very tiny objects that have no significance. This is

what happens when we are away from God; everything seems big

and complicated. But when God is right there with us, every trial,

sacrifice, and suffering seems to be insignificant. When we are in

the airplane we are separated from the city and its noise. When God

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is in our life He carries us on His hands and goes between us and the

city. So what is so big and complicated in the city becomes small

and insignificant when God takes control and carries us in His

hands.

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the

lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead

those who are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

In every trial we go through, our Lord teaches us a lesson.

One of the most important lessons we all have to learn is that sin is

everywhere in this world and there is no way to avoid it. We all

have imperfections, but we will always have two choices:

Keep our eyes open and fixed on the Lord and this will make us:

o Struggle to make things right

o Develop fear and love of God's word

o Do not cover up our wrong doings

o Do not use empty excuses for our lack of commitment to our

relationship with God

o Demand accountability

o Strive to do better and get closer to God

o Acknowledge, rebuke and correct any sinful act on our part

o Confess our sins and repent frequently

o Hold on to our faith and be patient in the time of trial or

tribulation

Turn away from the Lord:

o Blame God

o Have doubts about God's goodness, judgment, and love

o Damage and ignore our relationship with God

o Distrust everyone

o Continue in our wickedness

o Lose our innocence towards sin

o Question everything pure and godly

o Our conscience becomes insensitive

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o Give up trying to be faithful

o Become self-centered

o Then death will be the consequence of our separation from

God

It is up to us to choose which road we will take. When we

decide that spiritual consequences are no longer a consideration, we

are running the risk of damaging our relationship with God and

allowing sin to take control of our life.

"Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become

mighty in power? Their descendants are established with them in

their sight, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are

safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull

breeds without failure; their cow calves without miscarriage. They

send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice to the sound of

the flute. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down

to the grave. Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, for we do not

desire the knowledge of Your way.'" (Job 21:7-14)

Does that sound like a question you wonder about?

There are different things that we need to consider:

God may give the wicked some grace and mercy in the hope that

they see God's blessings and repent

God gives some earthly grace to everyone, including those who

choose earthly comfort instead of a relationship with Him. But

in addition to earthly grace, He gives His children a life with

Him

Satan will try to use this to attract us to leave our godly life and

follow his plan

In the Holy Bible we see many examples of that. Jesus

Christ has been tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), and He tells

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us "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and

loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his

own soul." (Matthew 16:26)Without suffering and darkness, we will

never appreciate the light. If we approach our lives with this

attitude, it will make appreciate and accept our lives the way it is. If

we succeed in taking this crucial step and change the way we see

and think about things and circumstances, then everything will work

together for our good, whether the outcome is good or bad, health or

sickness.

Let us not be blind to the truth. Instead, let us be eager to

learn more about our Heavenly Father and change our attitude to be

able to see the blessings in our life. When our spiritual eyes are

opened, our physical eyes will be opened too. Then we will be able

to see the bigger picture. That we are on earth for a short time,

serving God is the priority in our life, and suffering is a small price

to pay for our salvation and purification to make us worthy to spend

eternity with the Lord.

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I Am All Yours When God opened my eyes

To see all His goodness in me There was nothing left to see

For … He is the one …

Who created every part in my being He is the one…

Who breathed the first breath in me He is the one…

Who gave me my sight to see My voice to speak My ears to hear He is the one…

Who taught my body the way it should be He is the one…

Who inserted the seed of love in my heart He is the one…

Who bestowed His gifts one by one on me What an amazing thing to see

That I have no hand in me And

To know that all I have is His

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Part IIII Summary

The purpose of part four was to discuss ways and methods that can

help us attain a spiritual life and/or improve our relationship with

the Lord.

We discussed how to guard our heart against pride by

submitting our life to the will of God with humility and

obedience. Moreover, we need to study the scripture and pray to

God to ignite His Holy Spirit in our hearts, so we can see and

acknowledge God’s helping hands, grace, mercy, and salvation

in our lives. Abraham, Joseph, David, and Daniel never allowed

their wealth, fame or wisdom to separate them from God.

We talked about not letting the wounds and pain of the past to

influence or affect our life today by allowing God to mend and

heal our old scar and give us a new heart that although it might

not forget the wound, but will be able to forgive it and move on

to live a peaceful and joyful life. Jacob’s and St. Paul’s past had

many faults and transgressions, but they never allowed it to

affect their future life and relationship with God.

Repentance was another way to attain or improve our spiritual

life for it will ignite the Holy Spirit to work in us, will fill us

with many virtues, and will guide our steps in our walk with

God. When the Samaritan women met face-to-face with our

Lord Jesus Christ, she never looked back. But filled with a river

of living water, she ran and told everyone to come and see the

Lord.

Forgiveness is one of the works of the Holy Spirit in us. Once

we submit our heart to God, He will help us not to be filled with

bitterness, anger, or grudges, but rather we will be able to

forgive and pray for those who wrong us. The unmerciful

servant could not forgive his fellow servant although he was

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forgiven by the master. Therefore he was judged by the merciful

master and was put in jail.

God can grant us to grow in the spirit and walk with Him when

we show the desire to have a close relationship with Him and

others. Such close relationship will need tending; therefore, once

we stop complaining and being lazy in our spiritual life, we will

experience the joy and blessings of having a close relationship

with God. Jacob sought this close relationship with God. God

responded by blessing Jacob.

Finally, avoiding a life style that can separate us from God by

avoiding sinful acts and instead acquiring the life of purity. We

might get hurt a little in this process for purification, like

purification of gold in high heat. However, at the end we will

qualify to be called children of God.

May the lord enlighten us and make us able to walk with

Him. May His peace fill our hearts now and forever.

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PART FIVE

What will God Say?

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25

I Am God and there is No Other

“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God,

and there is no other, I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone

out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me

every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.” (Isaiah 45:

22-23)

Our God is an amazing God, He created us and brought us to

life but He never demanded that we have to follow Him. Instead He

gave us freewill to choose our own destiny and to decide how we

want to live.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ lived on earth with a holy

heart and without any sin or blemish. Many people loved Him and

followed Him, whereas many others hated Him, were jealous of

Him, and wanted to destroy Him. Jesus Christ was never prideful or

self- righteous and He never hated those who wanted to crucify

Him. On the contrary, despite of everything, He loved and served

everyone unconditionally.

When we look at Christ and His character we wonder

whether if we can follow His steps or if it is even possible for us to

be Christ-like. We find that transformation to that level of purity

will be far beyond our abilities and seemingly impossible.

Most of us have the desire to make many changes in our life

and to be Christ-like. We talk to each other about these changes and

we dream about achieving them. Year after year, we make many

New Year’s resolutions or many promises here or there. But, in

most cases, these changes either remain as just a desire to change or

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just a dream, because we do not have the motivation, the willpower,

and the determination to go through that difficult road and to win

the battle and become Christ-like. Our commitments to God,

ourselves, and to others are very weak because of the busy lives we

lead, laziness, and the many excuses of why we cannot change.

To achieve the changes we desire and dream about to be

Christ-like, we must reprogram our minds to make positive choices

and to leave our old habits behind. This reprogramming starts by

praying and submitting ourselves and our will to Him.

Consequently, changes will start happening, slowly, but surely.

Then, the more we improve, the more we want to improve some

more and our lives will become a series of continuous

achievements. But changes always take time because our old habits,

although we wish to change them, are familiar to us and, sometimes,

we consider them to be our “comfort zone.” That make us scared to

let them go and to start over. But the Bible teaches us:

“As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the

lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you

also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I

am Holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Amazingly, the first word an infant learns is “No” before

he/she even knows its meaning. Somehow we are attracted to this

word no matter how old we are and how educated and successful we

might be. The word “No” gives us the feeling and sense that we are

in control, and that is very satisfying to many of us. Wanting to be

in control is one of our main human problems. We leave God out of

our lives and assume His role; that causes many unhappy and

undesired consequences.

Because of our self-consciousness or our big egos, we tend

to hide ourselves behind many masks for we do not want others to

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see our imperfection. We also hide what we feel and pretend we are

happy and satisfied and, consequently, this make believe life leads

to many bad habits, addictions, and depression. Instead of dealing

with our problems, we hide them deeper or we develop resistance to

the change; the cure. Consider for example a person who has an

infection and needs a special antibiotic to cure it. If he is not

compliant in taking his medication, the infection will spread, his

body will become weaker and weaker, and he will develop

resistance to this antibiotic. On the other hand, if he takes his

antibiotic as prescribed, the infection will be cured. It might take

time depending on the scope and severity of the infection, but will

be cured. Same in our Christian life, if we do not follow the

instructions of how to change, we will end up losing hope, losing

trust, and having a weakened resolve to try again.

In order to overcome the obstacles and fear that come with

the change, we need to acknowledge that God is the only one in

control, that He is the one who has the perfect plans for our lives,

and that we are in need of His direction. If we do not acknowledge

these facts, we will live in fear of letting anyone get closer to us and

finding out our true nature or will become frustrated because almost

nothing seems to go as we planned.

The serpent promised Adam and Eve that they would be

equal to God if they eat from the forbidden tree. Adam and Eve

wanted to be equal to God and they saw the opportunity to achieve

that if they follow the serpent’s plan. Instead of living in peace and

harmony with God in the Garden of Eden when they were following

God’s plan, they became afraid and felt naked and ashamed when

they followed the serpent’s plan to be equal to God. When they

heard God’s voice, they hid themselves, and consequently, became

separated from God and were exiled from the Garden of Eden.

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“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,

that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one

wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave her husband with

her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)

When we humble ourselves we can see the hand of God

every day in our lives and we can see His marvelous plan for each

one of us. Through continuous prayers for the ability to submit to

the will of God in our lives and for wisdom, and through

perseverance and determination to change, we can overcome many

problems and step by step we get closer and closer to God.

Moreover, we will be true to ourselves and others and will have no

need to hide behind any mask.

The story of the prodigal son is one of the best examples of

ego and self-reliance. This man grew in a home filled with love,

rules, kindness, riches, etc., but because of his ego and immaturity,

he thought he was able to decide what was good for him without

checking with his father who loved him dearly. He needed to be in

control to satisfy his ego, but ended up lacking and miserable.

Luckily, he was saved in the end by his loving father when he

acknowledged his mistakes and humbled himself and returned to his

father’s house. But how many people do not take this step and come

back to their fathers? This is a great lesson for us to learn without

attempting to try it because we might end up wishing to eat the pods

the pigs’ eat, as the prodigal son, if we stay away from our Father in

heaven.

“Then He said: ‘A certain man had two sons. And the

younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of

goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not

many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed

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to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal

living.” (Luke 15: 11-13)

Transformation does not come easily. It is a life-long

process of admitting need, free choices, determinations, planning,

and diligent prayers. Learning to praise and honor the Lord for any

changes we might achieve will teach us to see His hand in

everything around us and to encourage us to press on to the next

level of understanding and maturity.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10: 31)

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Words for the thought

When will I say I am Yours

When will my heart belong to You When will I rejoice when I think I am coming back to You

So God whispered and said …

My love for you will lead you to My way My Holy Spirit will cleanse you all day

My Holy Bible will teach you all about Me My Body and my Blood will make you one with Me

Then … The road of knowledge and wisdom will be granted

The your heart will be transformed Your mind will have one goal, which is to do My will

Then … Gradually you will be able to free yourself from any

distractions Gradually you will discover the mystery that is hidden

Gradually the inner eyes will start seeing And now …

You can call yourself a child of God

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PART Six

My experience with God

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26 Words from the Heart

I have been pondering what should I write and share in this chapter.

My thoughts took me far away and opened a door for me to think

about how my life then and now.

“For You have formed my inward parts; You have covered

me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and

wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, And that my soul

knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was in

secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your

eyes my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all

were written, the days fashioned for me. When as yet there were

none of them.” (Psalm 139: 13-16)

What can I say to express my love for Lord when I look

back and read these verses? I firmly believed in those words ever

since I was a young girl and I still believe in them today. Life has

not been easy for me. I struggle daily to make life appear normal to

those who do not know me closely. Due to lack of resources, many

responsibilities and immaturity, my mother tried to miscarry. To

achieve that, the doctor gave her too many large doses of hormonal

therapy. It is a miracle that I am alive and without birth defects.

However, these high doses of hormones made me suffer from many

health problems throughout the years. But I am grateful!

Lord: when you held me so tight in my mother’s womb and

did not let go of me, You saved my body and soul from destruction.

For I am your precious daughter and You did not let go of me!

The Lord became an integral part of my life at very young

age. Although I was not a churchgoer when I was a young girl, yet I

remember talking to the Lord about everything, trying to do the

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right things, and feeling sad when others do not respect His words.

Amazingly, even at a very young age, I felt that what happened to

me did not affect my relationship with others. On the contrary, it

gave me strength, made me more sensitive to people’s problems and

troubles, and made me give people the benefit of doubt. After all,

we are all humans, we are full of faults, and we are learning

something every day, mostly through trials and errors. I believe,

pray, hope, and wish that these trials will change our life and we

become a better people, friends, sisters, brothers, moms, or dads.

Since my very young age, I never had a year that was

without trials. I suffered from one health problems after the other

almost on a yearly basis. My mom would become frustrated with

all my health problems and would ask me “why are you losing

weight, why are you not eating, or why are you forgetful?” I had no

answer to any of her questions and I remember looking up and

asking God what is wrong with me Lord? But I received no answer.

I did feel sad and frustrated sometimes, but I did not let any of these

things to affect me. My mom took me to this doctor and that, but

treatment did not improve my conditions.

Fear is also a big part of my life. I was lost when I was very

young and my parents found me at the police station. Since then, I

developed fear of everything: the dark, insects, stray cats and dogs,

and the thought that I might get sick or be lost again. To overcome

my forgetfulness, I adopted the technique of writing everything a

few times or making diagrams in order to remember. This helped

me go through school and exams.

But not everything in my past was hardships. We lived in an

apartment building in Cairo, Egypt. Both sets of my grandparents,

and my uncles and aunts lived in the same building. It was fun to

live with my loving parents and brothers and be surrounded by close

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family members. We also owned an apartment in Alexandria, Egypt

on the Mediterranean Sea, where we spent our summer vacations on

the beach with friends and family. As you can see, growing up was

a mixed bag of good and bad due to my frequent sicknesses and my

forgetfulness. However, I was determined to learn new things, help

others, make use of every talent I have, no matter how small or

trivial, and not to let anything hinder me.

Getting married and moving to Canada was the turning point

in my life. I discovered that I can learn anything I want at any time I

wish. Slowly, I started to attend church and hear more about God.

But I was too busy with my new, young family, having young

children at home, and my new determination to learn something

new every year. I was too busy to think of or pay attention to my

spiritual life. When we moved to the United States my children

were getting older and we started to go to church regularly. I was

asked to teach Sunday school, and I accepted thinking that I can

make the children happy and I can do many art projects with them,

but never really considered their spiritual lives or mine. But, the

more I read about the Lord as I was preparing my Sunday School

lessons, the more I felt that I was lacking the knowledge, the

spiritual depth and, therefore, unworthy to teach Sunday school. I

decided to quit teaching Sunday school and concentrated on

teaching my children and myself how to acquire the Christian

virtues we were learning about in class and how to grow spiritually

in the knowledge of the Lord. So I would be able to tell my son not

to fight with his peers, but rather to stay away from troubles, and

give people the benefit of doubt, allow room for forgiveness, and to

pray for them.

I went back to school and became a teacher. Between my

personal life and my work as a Montessori teacher, I started to learn

more about God and recognized that He takes good care of each and

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every one, because each one is very special to Him. The more I paid

attention, prayed, read the Holy Bible, and meditated every night on

my day, the more I saw that the hands of God were around me and

covering me. This motivated me to get to know Him better and to

try harder to please Him and live according to His will.

Tribulations did not stay away from my life because I grew

closer to God. However, as I was getting to know the Lord, my

perception changed regarding tribulations. I started to learn that a

new virtue or a new blessing maybe learned or gained through

tribulations, if I thankfully accepted His will in my life. This led me

to thank God for both the hard and easy times in my life. And

eventually, I welcomed Him in my life and asked Him to teach me

how to recognize and accept His will for my life without

murmuring. In doing that I was set free and was no longer a hostage

to tribulations, instead, I overcame and prevailed over them,

regardless how hard they were.

“O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise,

even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I

will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples. And I will sing praises

to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the

heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds." (Psalm 108:1-4)

Our mighty God is waiting for each one of us to look up to

Him, spend time with Him, and have a conversation with Him. Let

us not wait any longer or be swept away by the waves of the world.

Instead, let us wake up from our sleep and count our days, which are

few, and commit to change our lives. God loves our intimate

moments with Him. During these moments, He gives us the insight

about what is hidden deep inside our hearts. Therefore, it is very

important that we spend quality time with Him and ask Him to

enlighten or hearts and soul and make us able to open our hearts

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completely to Him even though He already knows what is inside of

us.

When God is an important part of our daily life, we will

better understanding the Holy Bible when we read it, we will be

better able to face our problems, and we will have the wisdom to

know what is appropriate and acceptable according to the will of

God. Therefore instead of murmuring and/or complaining that God

never listens or has no time for us, let us take the initiative and make

time for Him and insist in prayers on getting answers. Then you will

ultimately discover that God was right there beside you all along

and we were the ones busy with many things. When we commit our

hearts, minds, eyes, ears, and mouth to God He will bless our

senses. He will fill our hearts with love towards Him and other. He

will give us better understanding of the word of God and of our

situation. We will be able to see Him and recognize His voice. And

finally, we will be able to thank Him and sing His praises. The more

we grow in our spiritual walk with God, the more sensitive our

senses will be attuned to Him.

There are many ways that we can improve our way of life

such as:

1. Accepting our mistakes

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw

him, and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for

today I must stay at your house.' So he made haste and came down,

and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6)

Zacchaeus made up his mind that he must see our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ face to face no matter what he had to do in order

to achieve this goal. He did not care what others would say about

him. That is why our Lord called on him to become one of His

followers. Zacchaeus saw a clear vision of God's mercy and love

and responded with mercy to everyone who had falsely accused

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him. And we, as sinners, must do exactly the same. We must admit,

confess, repent, and reject our sins in order to invite God into our

hearts so He can come, restore and renew us again.

2. Create new habits

"Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those

who bought and sold in it." (Luke 19:45)

The way we conduct our lives is a sequence of habits. These

habits will determine the way our life will be. Our body is the

temple of God and when we commit ourselves to inviting God back

into our lives, we must gradually clear our thoughts, behavior, and

actions from the bad habits we have accumulated throughout the

years and replace them with good habits. The way we acquire good

habits is by filling our thoughts with good things such as reading the

Holy Bible on a regular basis, praying, attending church, helping

others, and avoiding things that invite bad thoughts. We must

acknowledge and be patient with our limited abilities and with

ourselves.

3. Learn to experience every moment and be thankful

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts

with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is

good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all

generations." (Psalm 100:4-5)

Be thankful and rejoice for the simple things in life, such as

a sunny morning, a friendly smile, a child's hug, etc. Thankfulness

comes from being determined to see the world with a new vision.

This vision will allow us to see the hands of God in everything

around us, enable us to laugh at our mistakes and to consider them

lessons that can help us improve ourselves, and to see that difficult

times as growing periods, a way to gain blessings, or just a

temporary setback.

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4. Wake up every morning with a new purpose

"And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you

will receive." (Mathew 21:22)

When the Holy Spirit is ignited in our hearts, our attitude

about life will change because we have a purpose to get up every

morning and do the will of God. This purpose is to serve the Lord in

any way we can at home, work, and church. We will never run out

of finding new goals in our life. The positive attitude we show

wherever we are will attract many people to the One who gives us

that attitude and in return will fill our days with many blessings.

5. Accept everyone the way they are instead of being judgmental

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment

you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use,

it will be measured back to you." (Mathew7:1-2)

We live in a society that thrives on gossip and judging others

by appearance. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ warned us not to

do this. Instead of standing and casting judgments, we should be

able to pray for others, give excuses to one another, and help one

another.

6. Learn to forgive instead of holding a grudge

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly

Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their

trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(Mathew 6:14-15)

The next step of growing in our spiritual walk is to learn that

no one is perfect. We all are sinners and make mistakes. Therefore

as Christians, we all look up to our Lord Jesus Christ who

commanded us to forgive and forget in order to gain blessings and

to remove any grudges or anger in our hearts.

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I pray we all learn how to live, enjoy, and experience every

moment in our lives as if it is our last. When we learn to smile at the

world, it will smile back at us. When we learn to see the full half of

the cup, we will never see vacuum or emptiness. When we learn

new facts about God every day and apply it to our lives, to forgive

and forget, to care about others and help them to be the best of our

abilities, and to live with a purpose, we will gain enormous joy in

our lives that will be a blessing from the Lord to us. Finally, I

encourage every reader to commit to a new and improved

relationship with Lord.

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Beautiful woman

Beautiful woman

What is your secret? I see glowing in your eyes I see sparkle in your face

I see a smile filling your heart What is your secret?

I see treasures accumulate over the year I see many gifts God bestowed on you

I see inner beauty very clearly What is your secret? I see joy in your walk

I see glow in your spirit I see enthusiasm filling your day

When did all this happen? When did all of this start?

Tell me, I need to know Is it true that you love Him? Is it true you walk with Him?

Is true that He is the one that made this all happen? Beautiful woman

Now it is very clear to me

Unexpected life of Abundance is a book that will help us exploring the life of men of faith and our own spirituality and how God work in each and everyone to help us through our journey to Him . May the Lord open our eyes to see His hand in everything and to discover our relationship with God and His plan for us.